


Depths

by Chickzilla18



Series: Unfathomable [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Adultery, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Attempted Sexual Assault, Biting, Blow Jobs, Bottom Danny, BoyxBoy, Bullying, Character Death, Chase Holfelder songs, Danny and Phantom are never the same person, Danny is feisty, Danny/Phantom, Dash is a Homosexual disguised as a Homophobe, Entrapment, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, First Time Blow Jobs, Gay, Hate to Love, Hinding from Parents, Homophobia, Hypnosis, I don't own Danny Phantom, Jack Being an Idiot, Kidnapping, Love, Love/Hate, M/M, Masterbation, MerPhantom, Mermaids, Merpeople, Passion, Phantom is hungry, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Protective Parents, Sadistic Phantom, Selfish Phantom, Sirens, Stockholm Syndrome, Teaching Phantom to have a heart, Telepathy, Torture, Uke Danny, Vlad being a creep, WomanxMan, Yaoi, cheating wife, evil counterparts, evil phantom, famous Phantom, fluff between friends, lots of fluff, manxboy, mermaid, merman, no ghosts, obsessed Paulina, one-sided Danny/Vlad, out of shape teacher, parental neglect, parents divorcing, pitchpearl, protective friends, protective phantom, seme Phantom, slow build with fluff, stalkers, they are not the same person, top phantom, very slow build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-07-24 13:06:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 37
Words: 144,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16175663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chickzilla18/pseuds/Chickzilla18
Summary: His eyes glowed a bright red as Danny screamed as loud as he could under water. Phantom's teeth were razor sharp, sharper than any shark in the ocean, making it easy for him to tear off the chunk of meat from the human's body. Blood flowed into Phantom's mouth like melted dark chocolate, and it tasted more delicious than anyone he's ever consumed.





	1. Mortality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Whoever said that staring at a clock doesn't _really_ make time go slower, is a complete idiot. Staring at a clock was like watching two snails race across a brick, or like getting your car stuck in a hectic traffic jam. It drew on and tested your patience to the point you feel like your going to scream out in rage.

Danny Fenton stared at the clock with his ice blue eyes and sighed nervously. He paid close attention to the clock, anticipating the bell. As soon as that bell rang, he needed to be out of the room, marching down the hall, or he would have to face his worst nightmare.

Dash Baxter, the biggest homophobe in existence.

Danny was his favorite toy.

It was like Danny was the embodiment of everything Dash hated.

Danny was geeky, nerdy, a momma's boy, had a baby face, was nice to everyone, and worst of all; he was gay.

It was like Danny's existence itched at a nerve in Dash, as if he tickled that bud of irritation and caused Dash to be the most despicable human being toward Danny. Ever since they were kids Danny had always been on the bully's bad side, and that caused all of Dash's A-lister friends to bully him as well.

Danny had never really done anything to Dash to deserve such hostility, but for some reason, the older male had always despised the raven-haired teen.

Danny was ashamed to admit that he did once have a crush on Dash when they were younger and before he became a football player. It was in the 7th grade and the blond male was tall, pale and had a build sort of like Danny did.

But unlike Danny, Dash started working out, which lead to him growing out of Danny's type, the more muscular he got.

Yes, Danny even had a type. Not that he's ever met anyone who has come even remotely _close_ to what Danny found sexy.

Danny had always looked at the really cute guys growing up, just as he was sure boys did to cute girls, and girls did to cute boys. He always carefully took in their features to try and figure out what he deemed was perfect, what he would want to look for in a guy. But everyone he found cute was just that... Cute.

Then he watched Rise of the Guardians... And saw Jack.

The white hair and pale skin, along with that lean and only _slightly_ muscular body was downright sinful in Danny's opinion.

But nobody had white hair. And Danny wondered if he would ever find someone like that.

"RIIIIIIING."

As soon as the bell rang, Danny was about to march out the door, ready to make a fast bolt to the next classroom and avoid Dash completely.

"Daniel Fenton, a word."

But with those four words, uttered by Mrs. Jackson, his hope of making it to English on time was demolished on the spot.

He turned his head back to look at the teacher, her chubby face watching him behind purple reading glasses. He could feel a breeze as the students fleeted the room behind him, and for a moment he was jealous of them all.

"You were daydreaming the last five minutes of class during lecture. Don't let this happen again or I will make sure to keep everyone occupied with classwork." Her gravely voice reminded Danny of a toad, and he wondered how often the lady smoked during break.

He nodded, "yes ma'am." Wanting to get out of the room and into Mr. Lancer's class as soon as possible.

She dismissed him, but Danny looked at the clock and knew that if he didn't book it down the hall, Dash would surely find him and do something horrible to him.

He entered the hallway, cautiously looking in both directions. There was a mob of students outside but he couldn't find the blond jock he was so afraid of. That settled his nerves a little bit, Dash was very easy to spot in a crowd,  for Danny to not see him meant there was a 70% chance that he wasn't there.

He was still careful, however, as he weaved his way through the crowd of students to his locker. Dash could pop out of nowhere at any moment. It was like he had a Danny radar, he always found him, as if Danny was a location that Dash could type into a GPS and track down.

It was annoying.

He shut his locker, English folder and notes in hand, and turned to head to destination B; AP English.

However, as soon as he turned around, he smashed right into a bully chest. Running into Dash like that was like running into a brick wall, his body was so packed with muscle that it was hard as a rock.

Danny looked up, successfully avoiding dropping his stuff, but unsuccessfully avoiding Dash.

The jock was more than a head taller than Danny, and every time the raven had the displeasure of looking up at the older boy, he would always feel like a toddler.

"Umm." Was all Danny could manage, looking up at Dash from the top of his eyes, his black bangs not at all obscuring his vision.

"Hey Fen-toenail," he grinned maliciously down at Danny with perfect white teeth, "suck any dongs today?"

The comment only did minimal damage on Danny, minimal because he himself and everyone who really knew him already knew that Danny was no man whore, but Danny never did handle Dash's judgmental comments well. All it took was enough poking, and Dash had him an emotional wreck of self-hatred.

Danny's head fell slightly further as he attempted on walking past the jock, wondering his chances of the blond letting him off easy today.

Apparently, there was no such chance as the bully blocked his way, "Woah, where are you off to in such a hurry? Is your pimp waiting for you?"

Mustering up all his strength, Danny boldly shoved his weight passed the jock and bolted down the hall, hoping that Dash would give up after that.

Again no such luck.

"Fenton!" Danny could hear Dash angrily yell after him, and the boy knew that the jock was running after him.

That was no fair! A jock against a geek in a nerd chase? Danny was sure to lose.

Danny wasn't a good runner, he only ever worked out during gym with Sam, and sometimes when his mom would take him to the gym with her.

The bell was about to ring for 4th period, and there was hardly any students left in the halls. It made it easy to run without running into anything. But he knew that the jock would catch up to him very easily. So easy, that Danny almost thought there was no point in running.

A hard jerk to his collar, followed by a, "your dead Fenton," let him know that he was caught. A crunch of fear invaded his heart like teeth chewing on gum as he was yanked around, and lifted up off the ground by the front of his shirt, up to eye level with the blond bully.

"You think you can run from me without getting a black eye, Fenton?" Turquoise eyes glared at Danny, and the raven's teeth clenched, worried about what was going to happen.

A fist rose in the air, and Danny shut his eyes and braced himself for impact. His fear was almost physical in the air.

"Forgive me for interrupting." A disgustingly familiar voice rang out, and immediately Danny knew it was going to be a day worse then he had imagined when he woke up this morning.

He opened his liquid blue eyes and immediately noticed that Dash's attention wasn't on him anymore.

Dash was looking at Vlad, one of Danny's father's friends from college.

Vlad had a grip on Dash's arm, which was still poised in position to thoroughly abuse Danny's face.

Dash immediately dropped Danny back on his feet in the eyes of authority, putting on an innocent smile at the substitute teacher. "Hi, Mr. Masters," he grinned, "I was just showing Danny some fighting moves, you know, because he's so darn defenseless."

Vlad's smug grin melted icily over Danny's form, eliciting a disgusted shiver in the boy. "Yes well, we must always protect the week in the community. Now run along Mr. Baxter, I do believe the bell rang a minute ago."

It was true, now that Danny realized it. Right before his creepy "uncle", Vlad showed up to valiantly rescue Danny from a shiny one, the bell rang without either of the two boys noticing.

Dash nervously laughed, glad for an easy opening out of trouble, "you got it, Mr. Masters." He saluted and turned on his heal and walked down the hall into his own classroom.

Danny pointedly avoided eye contact that he knew Vlad was hoping for. He didn't speak at all as he made his way to his classroom, expecting to find two dozen kids sitting through one of Mr. Lancer's Shakespeare lectures. But instead, as he stood in the door frame of the classroom, he was greeted by loud, unsupervised children throwing spitballs, texting, or throwing Tucker's hat around the room.

Vlad's hand shoved Danny forward, and it was then, as he glared back at Vlad, that he knew his horrible "uncle" would be substituting for Mr. Lancer today.

Danny wanted to hurl as he made his way to his seat between his two friends Sam and Tucker, he knew what that meant... He would have to sit through another 50 minutes of Vlad staring at him threw out the lesson.

Vlad often did this, come to Amity Park just to stalk him. He would come and pose as a teacher whenever he felt like it and oogle at Danny. Danny could always feel those aged teal eyes staring at him while he tried to put all his focus on his school work.

Like now as Vlad taught a more lively lesson about Nathaniel Hawthorne, a much more interesting author to the population of students sitting in their desks. The majority could handle sitting through a lecture about someone whose works they understood, better than of those they had to dissect and figure out literately. But Danny wasn't paying much attention.

He knew without having to look up, his creepy uncle was staring at him. He could just feel it, the feeling was as real as the shiver that ran down his spine.

He chanced a glance up to confirm his suspicion and almost shrank in his seat at the look he was getting from Vlad.

The only way to describe it was evil.

His toothless smirk, while he spoke about an author Danny, didn't care about made him look creepy, and his narrowed eyes reminded Danny of a horror movie. He wanted to get out of that room, remembering a time a few months ago when Vlad came over to visit for a weekend.

Vlad and his dad were old College friends who's studied marine biology and mythology, the used to research merpeople together, but the stopped twenty years ago. Danny never knew why, but if he had to guess, Vlad just couldn't handle Jack's obsession with mermaids. But they still saw each other on occasion, Vlad would come to visit, or Dad would haul Danny and the rest of his family over to Wisconsin for the weekend.

But whenever the 48-year-old man came around, Danny was always uncomfortable.

His friends Sam and Tucker were the only other people who noticed the stares that Vlad would give Danny constantly whenever he was around.

Danny hated it, he felt like Vlad was always undressing him with his eyes, and it drove him mad. In a really bad way.

The last time he came to visit, Danny was so sure that he was going to try to do something if he had the chance. His parents were clueless idiots who didn't pay much attention to Vlad's creepy behavior around their son, so Danny knew he would have to take care of himself. Vlad was no idiot and was very crafty, so Danny would have to be smarter and protect himself.

That weekend, he hadn't gone to the restroom, he stayed in his mom's field of vision. And at night, he locked his bedroom door and held it shut with a chair.

He was so glad he did.

He honestly wasn't sure what happened that last night Vlad visited those months ago. All Danny remembered was laying in his bed, half asleep at three in the morning. He had his blankets up to his chin, and his legs bent 90° as he hugged a second pillow to his chest. He was comfortable, and felt safe behind a thoroughly barricaded door, alone in his room where nobody could hurt him.

Until he heard something outside his bedroom door.

It wasn't exactly a knocking, more of a few light thumps and some rattling by the doorknob. Danny remembered sleepily sitting up and looking at his door, but the noises disappeared just after he connected the dots. He had waited there for a full ten minutes, waiting to see if the noises would continue, waited to see if whoever was on the other side of his door would continue to pursue entrance. But nothing came after that, and against his better judgment, Danny passed out soon after that.

But every time he thought about Vlad, he remembered. He had tried to get into his room that night. Had tried to enter his room to do who knows what. Danny didn't want to know what Vlad was planning on doing if he had been able to enter his room that night, but the boy felt it in his gut that he saved his skin that night for locking the door shut tight.

Danny was dreading the thought of Vlad spending the next weekend with them, the raven was sure the 48-year-old man would have figured out a way around a locked door by now. Danny figured that was why he was visiting, especially with him looking so smug like he won some hidden battle that Danny wasn't aware they were fighting.

He just wanted to get through the rest of the day without getting beat or hit on.

...

The bell that signaled the end of the 8th period was the loudest noise heard by every student in the school. It triggered a hectic response of pushing, running, and shoving. The joy everyone felt to be free of the white walls, the fluorescent lights, the endless lockers, and the excruciating lectures was like a bird flying for the first time.

"Danny don't worry, you can call us to sleep over if you want?" Sam said as Danny took his homework out of his locker.

Danny looked at Sam and Tucker and smiled. It wasn't weird for them all to have sleepovers together at one of their houses, they had been friends since they were three. Their parents literally could not separate them, one of them was hardly ever seen without another. They had been best friends since they were toddlers and had shared beds many times. It wasn't at all odd for them to have sleepovers together, so Danny knew that they would stay true to their word if he did ask them. He just needed to say the words and they would be there for him.

And Danny wasn't sure he wanted to be alone with Vlad in the same house all weekend.

"I'll call you guys if I need you," Danny said.

Tucker didn't feel right, as he looked at the fear hidden in Danny's expression. To anyone else, he hid his fear well, but Tucker's known them for over a decade and knew what Danny's fear looked like. He knew Danny was afraid, but-

"Ow." Tucker was suddenly shoved to the side, face planting into a locker, as he felt a large body mass charge passed him faster then anyone could react.

Danny was too shocked by how quickly the atmosphere changed to avoid the stiff punch Dash threw at his face. The impact of the hit caused fireworks of pain to blast across his right cheek, the force of it was so strong that he fell backward into Sam. Luckily she was strong enough to catch his weight, not that there was much to catch, Danny was basically just as scrawny as she was, and she was barely a healthy weight, leaning more on the light side of the scale.

"That's what you get for embarrassing me in front of authority, Fen-turd." Dash's red and angry face said where Danny was standing just a couple minutes ago.

The bully turned, Tucker was unfortunately in his way, so the jock flipped off his hat and shoved him into the locker for a second time. Tucker hissed, the cold blue metal bruising the right side of his head. Dash disappeared as fast as he arrived, and Sam allowed Danny to stand on his own feet, cradling his cheek in his hand. Dash missed his eye, but he would still probably have a nice purple one on his cheekbone. He was gonna have fun explaining this one to his parents.

Tucker picked up his hat, feeling a small bump on his head and giving himself a diagnosis, he would be fine in a couple hours. Danny was the one who really got hurt. He turned and flicked Danny's hand out of the way so he could see the abuse himself. Danny blushed and looked away, embarrassed that his friend put so much attention into his pain. Not even his parents did that anymore, they were too obsessed with Mermaids and building hunting equipment to notice when Danny got hurt at home.

In fact, he somehow doubted they would even notice the bruise.

Neither of his friends asked if he was okay, it was kind of a stupid question to ask at that point. Instead, they just picked up his forgotten folder off the floor, which had been dropped in the middle of the blow he took and handed Danny his things.

"Such a pity." A voice that Danny would have rather never hear ever again.

They turned around with narrowed eyes at Vlad, who stood behind them in his expensive suite with his hands behind his back. That same, smug smirk was there to irritate them all.

"Leave Danny alone, Vlad." Sam threatened with a hiss, taking a step slightly in front of her friend.

"Yeah, what she said," Tucker tried to sound as scary as Sam did, but striking fear was typically her job.

"Aww, but I'm just here to tell him about the phone call his father gave me a few days ago in Wisconsin." His smirk only grew as he shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, I don't have to tell you the plans we made this weekend, I much prefer the people I greet at their homes to be... Surprised."

Danny growled, "stay away from my house, Master's." He angrily yelled at the creep.

But his anger only seemed to fuel and tempt the devil, "My dear boy, you can't keep me away." He turned to walk out the door to his limo, "Ta, I'll see you at home."

Danny sighed, it had never been confirmed that Vlad Masters was an offender, nowhere on his record did it say so, Tucker looked to be sure. But Danny, Sam, and Tucker could just _feel_ the air that Vlad breathed. It was in his demeanor, the way he spoke and looked at Danny that worried them. It made their skin crawl, and they continued to feel that Vlad was capable of attacking at any moment.

Tucker turned to Danny, "you don't have to be alone, Danny. Let us stay with you. Or better yet, tell your parents how you feel about him." Tucker was very persuasive.

But Danny refused, "no that's Dad's college friend, about the only one on the earth that gets him out of the lab." Danny said sadly, he wished he could be the one to do that, have some father/son bonding time. But whenever he tried to talk to his family about how he feels, they always ended the conversation quickly to talk about mermaids.

Danny's friends called it neglect, but Danny thought of it like parents who worked hard to keep a roof over his head and food in his stomach.

They were great scientists, despite their obsession for mythical creatures. Danny and everyone else in the world with a brain knew that mermaids didn't exist. But his parents were so sure that they did, that they dedicated their lives to building equipment to capture them, and to prove their existence.

Danny shook his head at Tucker, despite his fear of Vlad, whenever he was around he could actually talk to his parents for more than five seconds about something other then merpeople.

He wanted that more than anything nowadays.

"But Danny!" Tucker exclaimed, but his facial expression changed from that on surprised anger to a forlorn acceptance. Tucker knew Danny so well, that he knew that Danny was the most stubborn person in existence. If Danny didn't want to tell his parents, then he wouldn't. So Tucker decided he would have to make a deal with Danny then.

He looked Danny in the eye, knowing that the raven would be caught, tied around his finger, under his thumb, or however you put this.

"Okay Danny, you don't have to tell your parents. I won't make you." He smiled sweetly, and Sam looked at him angrily in disagreement. Tucker winked at her and waited to see the relief on Danny's face, and then he attacked.

"Because I will tell them myself if you don't let us at least stay with you."

There it was, there was the catch.

Danny's horrified expression was so visible, Tucker and Sam could practically see the bright colors of alarm behind his head. The thought of his friends telling his parents about his fear of Vlad was petrifying.

He immediately agreed, knowing that Tucker would most definitely tell his parents if he had to.

Sam and Tucker nodded in satisfaction, and they all headed over to Danny's house, well aware that Vlad was most likely already there.

Danny was actually happy they made him let them come, the dread he felt of going home to see Vlad sipping tea with _his_ parents in _his_ living room, wasn't so bad anymore now that he wasn't alone.

But that didn't mean he wasn't afraid. Especially when he got home to find that his family and Vlad were all arguing with each other.

Or more like Vlad was arguing with Jack, and Jack was blathering on happily without acknowledging Vlad's distaste on the matter.

"But, Jack! You called me all the way from Wisconsin so we could spend the weekend together!" Vlad was angrily saying. He glanced over to where Danny and his friends were entering the room anxiously, unaware of what they just walked into.

Jack smiled when he noticed his son in the house, "Danny! I'm so glad your home."

"What's going on, Dad?" He asked as his father put both hands on his shoulders excitedly.

"It was just posted on YouTube that there was another mysterious sighting in the cove nearby." The big smile on his face made a little bit of joy erupt in Danny. If he wasn't talking about Mermaids, he probably would have shared the expression

"Okay, and?"

His father put a hand to his head, "well, Danny-boy, your mom and I think that you and I need to spend quickly father-son time together. So I arranged for a fishing trip!" He hugged the side of Danny's body and aimed him to look in the direction his outstretched hand was pointing. Danny saw a whole pile of fishing gear in the corner of the room.

"We're going fishing, and my man Vladdy over here is going to keep your mom company while we're gone!"


	2. Fishing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

The smell of salt was strong, and the sound of seagulls squawking was the most annoying noise in the world. It clashed with the sound of the water splashing gently against the boardwalk, the little boat that his father rented sitting innocently to the right of them.

Danny stared down at it, it was a 12 ft brown boat with two oars hooked on either side.

Yet, they were hunting for mermaids?

Even if they were real, how did his dad expect to capture something so wild, in a boat like that? Somehow he doubted that a creature like that would come quietly, even if his father _were_ to catch one.

"Well now," another fisherman said as he walked up, carrying a bucket, "here's your bait," the fat man bent over and set the bucket full of, _what_ _even is that_ , in the boat.

"Remember," the fisherman with red hair said as Jack and Danny got into the boat, Danny couldn't tell if the man's accent was Australian or Russian. "The tide will come in within the next few hours, you don't wanna be out there when that happens." It could be Irish?

Danny looked out to the open sea, so beautiful and calm. Despite his father's bad planning and his over-enthusiastic dream of catching a mermaid today, he was still having fun.

Mermaids didn't exist, so this might as well be a regular fishing trip with his father. He had been wanting one of these since he was old enough to hold a fishing pole, especially when he was watching TV one time, and saw that this was something that fathers and sons did together to bond.

"Also," the fisherman added just as Jack Fenton was picking up the oars to row away, "Be careful where your heading, a lot of mysterious disappearances have been going on in that cove." His unrecognizable accent made his words sound more like a warning then what seemed necessary, and Danny's eyebrows rose.

The fisherman's demeanor changed, though his father didn't seem to notice the awkward air anyways, "Well, you best get off, want y'all to have as much time fishing as you can before that tide." The fisherman waved as they rowed off towards their destination, 200 meters away from shore. Where a cove stood beautiful and tall, its walls glistening from the crystal clear water.

The boat rocked as they chose to stop just outside the entrance, his father's equipment was all packed in a toolbox sitting between them by the bait.

Excited, Danny picked up his fishing pole, "Dad, how exactly do you work this thing?" He had never used one before, and he only just realized he didn't know anything about casting, or how to know when he's caught something.

His father smiled at him, happy to see his son was as excited as he was. "You see that U shaped metal latch by the handle?" Danny nodded, "Well after you firmly attach your bait, you hold that down and swing the pole out. The line will cast on its own, but, when you're satisfied with how far it went, then drop the latch and your good to wait."

Danny examine the pole, and did as his father said as he was giving instructions, it was easier then he thought it would be as he watched his bait disappear with his fishing hook into the water a good ways away. "How do you know when you caught something?" He asked, still watching where his hook disappeared, intrigued as the line sank slowly further and further.

"You'll know, trust me. A small fish might nibble, and you'll feel some tugging. If that happens then usually fisherman yank really hard suddenly and then real her in. I assume it would be the same for merpeople."

Danny rolled his eyes without his father noticing as the other man cast his line and sat down to wait with him.

Mermaids and merman were known in legend to be smarter then dolphins, so, Danny couldn't imagine a mermaid ignorantly biting onto a fishing hook, even if they were real. He would need a better method of capturing one, then a couple of fishing poles and some bait.

 _It doesn't matter though,_ Danny thought. His father didn't really plan this out at all, and Danny knew that. This was just a normal, father-son bonding fun time.

No mermaids.

No science.

Nothing weird at all.

Just two guys, fishing together.

Danny smiled and relaxed against his father's back. The annoying squawking of the seagulls suddenly becoming a distant, relaxing sound. The light thumping of the boat as the water rocked it, and pushed the wooden oars against it, was also as relaxing as the much softer smell of salt.

Danny kept his hands conscious of every vibration of his pole, but he closed his eyes, allowing his fishing hat to hood over them.

Some time passed, and neither of them caught anything. His father had passed out where he sat and Danny was getting more and more discouraged.

What if something had already come, eaten his bait, and gone without him noticing? But, what if he reeled it in to check, and the bait was still there, and he missed a fish coming because of his paranoia?

Danny sighed, trusting himself, it had only been about 20 minutes, and he hadn't felt any indication that something came along. He scooted to glance down into the water, only able to see down a few meters.

He caught a shadow of something swimming, but it was too far down to be able to tell what it was. It appeared to be just a black smudge swimming towards his line. Was it a fish? He couldn't tell exactly how far down it was, but if it was as far as he thought, then it was really _big_.

What if it was a shark?

He knew what the research said about sharks; that most species were naturally peaceful.

But Danny begged to differ.

He could only imagine how hard it was for a shark to actually catch and eat a fish, the damn things had to be starving. He was not about to be the shark's first meal in who knows how long, just because other drivers were very comfortable swimming in the same waters as those spawns of satan.

He hated sharks with a burning passion, and if this thing was as big as he thought, it could only be one of two things. Either a harmless dolphin or a freaking shark.

Probably not accurate, but in Danny's nervousness, he brainwashed himself into believing that it was true.

He breathed in and out to calm himself, it was below them, far below them. It probably didn't even see them; their vision is supposed to be worse than bats.

The longer it took for him to see anything after the shadow disappeared, the better he felt, assuming whatever it was must have swum away by then. And after some time he was able to sigh in relief, listening as his father snored behind him.

But he relaxed too soon because that's when a hard tugging almost ripped the pole out of his hands.

"Woah!" He quickly gripped it hard, pulling it back. He didn't expect to catch anything so strong. He pulled back again, the effort of reeling and yanking took all the strength and energy he possessed.

Danny cursed himself, swearing if this was nothing more then a tiny fish, he would drown himself right then.

He panted as he continued to feel and yank, this fish _wasn't_ getting away from him. He braced his feet on the end of the boat and used it as leverage to pull harder, excited with the struggle. This thing was really putting up a fight, and if Danny was any younger, or weaker, he was sure he would have lost his catch by now.

He considered waking his dad to help him, but he chose not to, this would be his first catch, and he wanted to make his father proud. He knew the fish was big, it _had_ to be.

It took him a minute to notice that whatever this thing was, it had pulled them the 10 meters from where they floated from the entrance of the cave, till they were much deeper into it. The shadow of the walls fell over him as his fishing was nearly at an end. He could tell he almost had whatever it was, and he would be feasting his eyes on the beauty of it in less than a half a minute.

He stood up, instinctually knowing he would need to stand up to hold the things entire weight. The boat rocked from side to side and Danny could see as he looked down that it was only a couple meters from the surface. It looked to be mostly black.

Water splashed as he finally got it out of the water, but his excitement only lasted a second until he saw exactly what he caught.

Bright, glowing, neon green, and definitely _human_ eyes snarled up at him. Webbed and clawed hands slashing to reach him. Danny was stunned and went pale. The thing he caught was half man, half fish, and he noticed that his fishing line was wrapped painfully around the end of his ebony black tail, small amounts of blood dripping down the slippery scales.

His snow white hair dripped off the water as Danny held him up upside down, and his sharp, shark-like teeth hissed at him in the most animalistic way. It's chiseled upper body was mostly bare, slightly tanned, and was bejeweled with emerald green diamond charms around his neck, arms, and waist to match his piercing green eyes.

It was the most _beautiful_ thing he had ever laid eyes on, nothing could compare to this mythical being, and for a couple seconds, he couldn't help but stand there admiring it.

Danny knew what this was.

Knew what he had caught.

Knew what would happen if his father found it.

His father!

Danny glanced back fearfully and sighed in relief when he saw the merman's thrashing and snarling hadn't woken the man.

He turned back to the merman and pulled out his pocket knife. It was only a matter of time until his father woke up from his slumber, and he didn't want the merman to be there when he did.

Danny braced the pole between his arms and torso, aware of just how heavy the creature was. He grunted with the effort of holding him up while he stepped closer. He had to be very careful to avoid the halfa's slashing claws as he reached out with the knife to cut the line.

"Would you chill out?" He hissed quietly back at the hissing creature, aware that it probably didn't even understand what he said, "I'm trying to free you, damn it."

He briefly wondered if he was making a mistake, remembering how vicious these things were in the legend. He hesitated as he held the knife to the line, looking down at the creature who was completely at his mercy.

Those green eyes looked angry, and Danny shivered to think about what may happen once he frees it. But, as he thinks back to all the possible experiments that his father would do if he ever actually gets his hands of one of these...

He just couldn't allow it.

He didn't hesitate after that, not caring how dangerous the creature probably is.

Nothing, no man, fish, animal, or even mythical legend, deserved to go through the kind of torture his father had planned for 30 years.

With a jerk of the wrist, the merman was falling back into the water.

And Danny could only _hope_ that he wouldn't regret it.

His father jerked up, the loud splash waking him. "Ho." He looked around, then smiled and looked at Danny, ever the clueless being, "Hey, Danny, catch anything yet?" His father looked at the crouching boy, innocently whistling behind him, and smiled with his big, warm, blue eyes.

Danny looked anywhere but into his father's eyes, and denied, "Nope! Nothing at all, I haven't caught anything. Been sitting here bored, nope, nothing at all." Danny gave his father the biggest smile he could, almost wishing he could have looked at the beautiful creature just a moment longer.

Almost.

Jack looked at his pole and frowned, "Well no wonder you haven't caught anything, your line is cut. Here," he handed Danny his own fishing pole, "Take mine."

Danny stared down at the fishing line where it disappeared into the water. He didn't want his father to have a chance to catch the merman. "Um, actually Dad." He tried, also noticing that the tide had picked up a bit, "I think we should get back, remember what the redhead said about the tide?-"

"Danny." Jack was staring off at something in the distance, and Danny turned around curiously.

And then wished that he had never agreed to come on this trip.

His face blew up in panic, knowing without a doubt, that they were done for.

Blue hair gently broke through the surface, and a pale, tattooed feminine face smiled evilly towards them.

Another head floated up close to it, another female, with short red hair and an even eviler smirk. This one had no tattoos but had bright red eyes glowing at them.

More came all females with different radiantly colored hair and burning eyes.

They all stared at the two fishermen on the boat, with demonically beautiful faces. There was more than a dozen of them, and Danny damn near shit his pants.

He whimpered in fear.

Especially when they started singing.

He had no doubt that they existed now, none what so ever, which was why he knew without a doubt that this would be his last day alive.

They were on a tiny boat.

200 meters away from shore.

No one would be able to get to them.

No one would even try to save them.

And they were outnumbered by the most viscous predictors in the entire world. Hyena's don't even come close to how vicious these things are.

The odds of them surviving seemed non-existent.

"Do you hear them, son?" His father asked, his pupils dilated. Danny looked at him with wide eyes, "It's so beautiful." Obviously, his father had already succumbed to their siren ability.

Danny _could_ hear it, the singing, it was the most beautiful noise he had ever heard in his life, they all chorused together like false Angles. But, if his father was already being hypnotized, why wasn't he? Not that he wasn't grateful, but why wasn't he affected?

His father stood up, mumbling random words of "so pretty," and "I'm in love," the merpeople were getting uncomfortably close, and it wasn't until his father started leaning over the boat did Danny spring into action.

With all the strength he had, he yanked his father's clothes, and the older man fell back into the boat to lie on his back, dazed. Danny then opened up his father's toolbox and pulled out the first weapon he saw.

He wasn't sure what it would do, but he was about to find out. It was a big gun that looked self-explanatory, he had fired them before when his parents forced him to do target practice, sure that one day he would be hunting mermaids just like them.

The others were still singing a darker, more eerie dangerous tone as they attacked. As if they hadn't given up on trying to hypnotize Danny, or as if they were playing the soundtrack to his and his father's death.

A mermaid snarled and leaped out of the water towards him, sharp fangs ready to tear into his throat and long talons reaching out to sink into him.

With a Yelp of fear, he aimed and fired at the mermaid without hesitation, and a disgusting ball of green slime looking stuff shot out at the mermaid. It seemed to hurt her a lot, but she didn't seem to die as she flew past him back into the water, forest green tail being the last he saw of it. He almost felt bad for hurting them as they continued to leap out at him, but he wasn't stupid, he knew that they would definitely kill him if he didn't get them first. So he didn't hesitate, not once. Thinking about his mom, his sister, his best friends, even fucking Vlad for some reason, and how he _needed_ to see them again.

The mermaids seemed to calm down after a bit, and Danny panted, taking advantage of the opportunity, not knowing how long he will have before they would start to attack again. He grabbed the rope in his father's toolbox and made a loop, throwing it at the little island that was conveniently close enough for him.

The loop caught on a rock, and he pulled the boat towards the safe looking island, crying with joy when he pulled them close enough to cross over to.

Danny heaved his massively overweight father up, probably only able to do so thanks to adrenaline. With only minimal help from his dazed and confused Dad, he prepared to jump from the boat to the island.

Just as he jumped, his foot caught on the boat when the mermaids attempted to pull it out towards sea again.

His father fell forward, hitting his head on a rock, and Danny fell on his stomach, half in the water and half out.

He panicked immediately grabbing onto a sturdy rock in front of him to try and pull himself out, but in the half a second it took him to realize his lower half was in grave danger, he felt a webbed, taloned hand wrap painfully around his ankle.

He screamed in both fear and pain as the talons ripped through his flesh and started pulling, the mermaid was trying to pull him back into the water completely, but thanks to his grip on the rock, he didn't budge.

The sound of ripping jeans made it to his ears, triggering him to look back at the bright red eyes that bore into him like a demonic lion. Her skin had gone from a beautiful pink flush and healthy tan to a sickly grey color, making her look even eviler as her sharp teeth and forked snake tongue reached for him.

He frantically grabbed the gun that lay next to his head and fired at the mermaid who gripped him.

The impact forced the mermaid with red hair to let go, and he scrambled to get completely out of the water before any of the others could grab him. Panting and out of breath from fear and adrenaline, he pulled his unconscious father further up onto the island and sat down when they were directly in the center.

Danny whipped his head around every which way, making sure that they were safe. Even as athletic as the creatures seems to be, he didn't think they were able to get to them where they sat on the island.

He watched as they all stared at him, surrounding him with only half their heads visible. Danny could only see the top of their heads, and their glowing eyes as they stared right at him as if plotting to take his soul slowly and then take turns feasting off his cold dead body.

Knowing all the legends, that was probably what they wanted to do.

He could tell that for the moment they were safe from impending doom, but the same couldn't be said for the future. He remembered what the fisherman said before they left, that the tide will pick up a couple hours after they left. They had been gone for about 1 hour now. Which meant it was only a matter of time now before this little island currently saving their lives, became submerged.

Danny fell back when all the heads disappeared from sight, sobbing. He threw an arm over his eyes and allowed himself to cry for a brief minute. For fear of what just happened, for fear of what's to come, for fear of never seeing his family or friends again, for fear of the mermaids and what they plan on doing to him, for fear of the unknown, and for fear of his unconscious father.

His unconscious father.

Danny got up, tears dripping down his nose, getting on his knees and leaning over his father, trying to shake him awake.

"Dad." Any other time he would have hated himself for sounding so broken and pathetic, but he couldn't be bothered by it right now, "Dad, wake up!" He yelled, hoping his father would respond. He pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket, cursing when it wouldn't turn on after taking so much water damage.

He searched his father for some sort of walkie, or satellite phone, or at least a damn water resistant cell phone, anything that he could use to call for help. But just like everything else in his father's life, the older man didn't plan ahead.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, his voice breaking halfway through. He wiped away the excess tears as he stopped crying, unable to anymore as panic overcame fear.

He tried to calm himself down, this was no time to panic.

... Who was he kidding this is the perfect time to panic.

"Okay Danny, what would your mom do?" His mother had always been the stronger, and smarter, one of his parents. He looked around. He had one gun, a rope, and whatever _the hell_ was left of his wits.

He looked at the boat that was slowly floating farther and farther away, and knew, he needed to get that boat back. Not only was it their only chance of getting back to shore, but it had the rest of his father's hunting equipment in it.

Danny had never been more grateful that his parents built those weapons.

He only wished they weren't on a boat floating away in mermaid infested water.

He looked down at his father, and then back at the boat, then to the gun in his hands.

He knew what he had to do.


	3. Feed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Danny readjusts the rope into a bigger loop, ignoring the stinging on his bleeding ankle. He used his 10 years worth of research on cowboys in movies like, ' _the_ _ridiculous_ _6,_ ' and video games to throw the rope towards the edge of the boat. It was slowly floating farther away and was just out of reach.

Danny cursed in fear when the rope landed in the water a couple feet away from the edge of their only salvation. He looked down at his feet and wanted to scream in frustration when he found that he was only _just_ inside the comfort zone away from the edge of their little island.

He didn't have time to contemplate anything, the boat was not going to wait for him to stop being afraid. He drew the rope back in and nervously took a couple steps closer to the edge of the island, looking around as he did so for any sign of the mermaids.

"Come on, come on!" He expertly threw the rope at the boat again but missed it by mere inches. "Fuck!" He couldn't get any closer without stepping into the water.

He needed to get that boat back before it was too late.

He breathed and prayed to whatever higher power was out there that he would be okay. He looked around himself once more and tentatively stepped down into the water leaking onto the island, the tide coming in an unforgiving pace.

He only had the balls to step down ankle deep, but he pulled the rope back in and threw it once more. He wanted to cry when the rope barely missed it's target, latching on only to fall off back into the water with a splash.

"No."

...

Glowing green eyes stared up from the yard down under the surface, waiting, and observing.

 _The_ _boy doesn't react to the siren's singing, huh?_ Phantom thought curiously as he sat on his little rock, looking up at the foolish boy who freed him. He smirked evilly as he watched the human pointlessly throw the rope towards the boat floating hopelessly out of reach.

He looked delicious.

Phantom was the only male in the cove and by far the most powerful. Every mermaid had one special power, but he had multiple powers. Unlike all the mermaids who had a fire core, Phantom an ice core, so he could live in extremely cold temperatures, but it was detrimental to his health that he never gets too hot. It was the opposite for the females in this cove.

The only one in the entire cove and the only one Phantom had ever heard of, that wasn't able to sing like a hypnotic siren, was Ember. The blue haired, black tattoo decorated mermaid, with a black tail and blue fins.

Poor thing. She was considered the handicapped because the only thing she had going for her to hunt was her beauty. It was much harder for her to get her prey when she couldn't hypnotize them into walking right into their deaths.

Right now the mermaids were in the cave, resting after being injured by the humans strange gun. They knew the tide would come in and the humans would be without the safety of land, so they were waiting patiently.

Phantom watched in amusement when the human had the gull to step foot into the water. The smell of the human's blood hit his nose, and he knew his eyes flashed red briefly. The kid's ankle was bleeding and the human didn't even seem to notice that he was practically baiting merpeople to come after him. The human so ignorantly made himself an easy catch when there was a merman sitting right beneath his nose just out of sight, but definitely not out of reach. If Phantom wanted to, he could reach out a clawed hand and drag the unsuspecting boy down before he could even know what was happening.

"Awe that's cute, he thinks he can get out of this alive." Phantom thought, wondering if he should just grab him and drag him down; he sure was hungry and the human looked and smelled so good.

But Phantom was willing to give the human a sporting chance, a small thank you for freeing him. He would allow him to pathetically try to fight for his life, and avoid his impending doom. Phantom watched, smiling when the boy's rope fell into the water, "Oh he almost had it that time," the poor thing was trying so hard.

A few seconds passed after the rope was dragged back in, and Phantom wondered if the human had given up.

How anticlimactic.

But he was happily surprised when the human stupidly stepped further into the water, his desperation to survive bringing him in almost knee deep. Much closer to the merman sitting just short of a foot away from him. Phantom smirked ear to ear, adoring the kid's effort and wanting to cry out in laughter.

This kid was either very brave or very stupid.

Either way, Phantom liked him.

Phantom clapped his hands under water when the rope latched snuggly around the front of the boat, the sound of cheering above the surface making him giggle.

He wanted to play with the human a little.

So as the human was dragging the boat back, he reached out a webbed hand and grabbed his bleeding ankle.

The reaction was immediate, and Phantom released his ankle to watch with a satisfied smirk as the kid scrambled to get out of the water, making a scared noise that sounded between a whimper and a scream. He couldn't wait to see his reaction when he tore into his flesh to feed off his warm alive body.

Later though.

Danny dropped the rope in his panic, and the human made a mad dive to try and grab it before it fell out of reach beneath the water. That's when Phantom decided to pop his head out of the water inches from the humans scared blue eyes. Drops of cold water splashed up at Danny, enough to soak into his hair and make his clothes more than a little wet.

Danny could see the evil in those bright glowing green eyes, wet white hair fell to frame a pale scaled face of a smirking merman. It was the same merman he had caught, and let go. The same beautiful creature he had shown mercy to just half an hour ago, inches away from him.

He completely forgot about the rope, crawling back away from the creature and out of the water faster then he could even blink. It could have just grabbed him right there, and Danny would have been done for. It could have dragged him down when it grabbed his ankle, but it didn't. Was it playing with him? Was this some sort of game to it? The evil smirk was looking more and more playful the longer he stared at it.

Danny looked around for the gun, but he made the mistake of taking his eyes off the merman, and when he looked back to aim and fire, it was gone from sight.

"Shit." Danny had never cursed so much in 1 hour in his life.

He looked around him, standing up on shaking feet, and aimed the gun wherever his eyes landed. He would fire at anything that moved, any sign of life other than his father he would shoot. He didn't care what it was. His heart was beating out of his chest, and his legs felt like they would give out any minute now. He lost the rope to drag the boat back, and it was still too far away to grab. That was his only hope and he blew it, now he and his father were literally sunk. Even if the merman didn't do anything now, the tide would come in within the hour and this island would be below the surface.

He panted as he sank to his knees, pure panic invading every sense that he had.

And that's when the singing started.

His eyes widened as the sound came softly from behind him. More beautiful than any noise he'd heard in his life, not even the harmony of the siren's earlier compared. His heart beat harder, and his ears tingled as his grip on the gun loosened. He turned around slowly to stare at the white-haired merman as it slowly came closer.

Or was Danny walking closer?

It didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was that the distance between them was shortening and Danny was dropping the gun as his legs moved without permission. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled to meet the advancing creature at the edge of the island. As soon as Danny got close enough, he felt webbed hands grab either side of his face and pull him closer. The merman's singing was slurred and lazy, but it only made his rhythm sound like a sweet lullaby, and it had Danny falling into the deep pits of unfamiliarity as the creatures face got closer.

When salty wet lips met his, Danny was only half aware of his father screaming out behind him as he was dragged into the water.

...

A hand was running through the strands of his hair, and slowly Danny opened his eyes. Blue pools of crystal looked around, it was dark, but he could tell he was surrounded by jagged rock walls.

He briefly panicked when he realized he was underwater until he found that he could breathe normally.

How though?

There was a soft hue of glowing white light shining from behind him, and Danny's brain finally registered that his hair was being touched by something alive.

He immediately started to struggle, able to squirm out of scaled arms and swim away just enough to turn and look at the creature behind him. He was once again greeted by the halfa he had freed, and the glowing green eyes could be seen shining even threw the sea water between them.

He soon realized that his left leg was tied down by a large metal chain, keeping him from being able to swim too far.

How long was he out? He looked around for his father, afraid to find only pieces that the mermaids left behind after devouring him, but he didn't see any sign of the man. Where was he then? Was he still on the island? Was the island even still there anymore? Why was he still alive?

The merman got up from his spot sitting on a rock and swam up to align their faces inches apart. He reached up a taloned hand and brushed the hair away from Danny's face, the water flapping it around as if it was made of feathers.

Danny tried to move away, but with the lack of leverage underwater, and the chain keeping his ankle hostage, he wasn't able to gain an inch of distance.

"Food." The voice entered Danny's mind without permission or warning, and it had blue eyes widening in shock. That was the only thing the voice said, nothing else. Danny still didn't know why he was here, or how long he was going to stay, or if he was going to get out of this alive. Would the merman keep him here until he rotted? Or was he just letting his human body tenderize under the salt water of the sea so he could devour him later?

Danny looked down at himself and blushed, he appeared to be naked. His body was bare and barely illuminated by the glow of light the merman emitted, but Danny could see that he was now dressed in old looking jewelry. The white gold was slightly blackened with age and probably from being underwater for years. The black pearls dressed around his neck, arms, and waist complimented the blue gems that sparkled against the natural light the merman had.

What was this? Why go through the effort? Why waste the time if he was just going to eat him?

That wasn't his main concern though, what he worried most about was where his father was. Was he still unconscious? Was he still lying there on that rock? Was he looking for him? Was he even alive?

Danny needed to know, he looked in every direction, his breath coming in short, overworked pants. He was in some sort of cave, and he couldn't see the surface, let alone a way out, he had to be very deep underwater. A tear escaped his eye, feeling more hopeless than the did earlier on the island. He hated himself for not getting the boat back sooner, envious of his past self. He had been fully clothed, with a weapon in his hand, and a chance to get him and his father back safely and look at him now.

Bare.

Stripped of everything, but his self-misery. Left with nothing on him, but his fear.

If he wasn't already under water, he knew that he would be able to feel dozens of tears as they would drop from his face. He wouldn't even care if anyone saw him like that, week and pathetic. He couldn't imagine anyone who wouldn't cry given this situation.

His father was either dead or about to die very soon, and he was trapped who knows how deep below the surface of the ocean.

Seems like a good time to cry a little.

Phantom stared at the human with interest as it gathered the situation it was currently in. The concern he had over the fat human above them seemed to upset him a great deal, and the amount of panic could be seen clearly in the blue eyes of the human he held captive.

Phantom tilted his head, interested in the fact the human wasn't begging for his life like all the other humans he had played with before eating.

He couldn't stop smirking, aware that the human _still_ wouldn't kill him even if given the chance, even after the torment and horror he and the rest of the mermaids put him through. Unlike all the others that had been consumed before him, he wasn't thinking about how he would kill Phantom and get away. Phantom was sure that even if he handed Danny the one thing that could kill him, the human wouldn't use it. It was simply not in this humans nature to kill.

How pathetic.

Phantom grabbed the kids face with one webbed hand, forcing the raven to look at him with those fearful eyes. His talons dug into the boy's cheeks painfully but didn't pierce the skin enough to draw blood. Phantom's smirk never left his face as he stared at Danny, reading his every thought.

Seeing that the boy was definitely scared, Phantom winked, purely just to mess with him, before biting into the meaty part of his right pectoral.

His eyes glowed a bright red as the human screamed as loud as he could under water. Phantom's teeth were razor sharp, sharper than any shark in the ocean, making it easy for him to tear off the chunk of meat from the human's body. Blood flowed into Phantom's mouth like melted dark chocolate, and it tasted more delicious then anyone he's ever consumed.

He could tell the human was scared terrified, and in a great amount of shock. Most of them were when phantom took his first bite, he liked doing it when they least expected it, loveing the emotion that poured into their flavor.

Phantom looked down at the bite mark he left, it was small and clean as always. He was never messy because it was always easier to clean off the bones when he wasn't a feral beast about eating. He was sure that even if he stopped eating the human with just this one bite, the raven-haired kid would live.

But, Phantom wasn't even close to being done.

Danny screamed like a lamb being eaten alive by a sadistic lion, feeling every one of Phantom's teeth as he took bite after drawn-out bite of his flesh. The pain was excruciating, and Danny started to wish that the merman would just get it over with instead of drawing out his suffering. The merman was savoring every ounce he took from Danny, not caring that the human was living through the extremely acute pain. He tried to push the merman away with his hands, but he must have been made of bricks because he didn't budge even a centimeter.

Did his father have to go through this? Was he already dead? Eaten alive like this by mermaids? What if they were all going at him all at once? What kind of agony would his father go through if he wasn't saved in time?

Phantom stopped eating and looked at Danny, the boy was doing everything he could to avoid eye contact, but Phantom forced it on him by grabbing his face again.

"He's alive for now." Danny heard the voice in his head, and the flicker of hope showed in his eyes as he stared at Phantom's glowing red ones.

The merman didn't know why he felt like obliging to Danny's whimpering thoughts of his father, perhaps he had a bit of a soft spot for the dying human. He was so delicious and his reaction to things was more than amusing. It didn't matter, the human would die soon anyway, let this be Phantom's last thank you for setting him free.

Danny wanted the merman to save his father, and Phantom knew it just by listening to his thoughts. The begging he heard from the human was not for his own life, but for the fat meal above the surface.

"No," he made sure his answer was clear in Danny's mind. He would not sacrifice a meal for the rest of the mermaids just for this human. The boy would be dead soon, and his father would be eaten, and neither of their lives would ever matter.

Every nerve, every muscle, every thought in the human's mind was screaming for his father's life, even as Phantom went back to slowly feeding, careful to avoid any of the major arteries. He didn't want him dying too quickly, he liked drawing his prey's death out as long as physically possible; the meat was always more tender when they were alive.

He smirked when the human pathetically attempted to shove him away again. That was okay; he liked it when they squirmed and fought. It made his meal a little more interesting.

That is until the human went for his eye.

Phantom hissed and swam back, grabbing at his slightly gouged eye socket. It healed back in seconds, and Phantom looked at Danny with burning red eyes, loving how the glare chilled the human right to the bone. The small victory that the human felt was quickly squashed down at the sight of the merman's angry eyes.

Never had he ever been given a reason to tie a humans hands back before, most of them didn't have the strength or brains to actually do anything other than try to shove him back.

Yet another reason for this one particular boy to be the most thrilling meal he'd ever consumed. If the human kept acting like this, he would almost be tempted to keep him alive so he could feast on him whenever he pleased.

Phantom licked his lips, knowing that the boy would run out of oxygen soon. This feeding had gone on a little longer then he thought it would, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it.

Cupping the humans protesting face again with both hands, and being a little less gentle than the first time he did this, Phantom kissed him deeply on the lips. He had to do this or the kid wouldn't be able to breathe underwater for much longer.

At first, he didn't think the human would struggle, but he realized too late what the human was planning to do.

Phantom leaned back and looked at the human with green, amused eyes. He licked at his bloody bottom lip and smiled as it healed almost instantly, wiping away the excess blood with a webbed finger.

"Too precious." Danny wished that the merman would stop invading his mind that way.

Phantom seemed to be finished for the time being, because after taunting him with a wave of goodbye, the merman left. Swimming up to some small hole at the top of the cave and leaving Danny there in the dark, hands tied and leg trapped, all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg. Who is loving evil Phantom?
> 
> I know I am.
> 
> Danny: So when am I going to start loving him?
> 
> Me: Hush Danny your supposed to be wallowing in self pitty dozens of feet below the surface.
> 
> Phantom: he didn't seem to be pittying himself when he bit my lip like some whore at a night club.
> 
> Danny: What do you mean whore?!? I made you bleed!
> 
> Me: didn't seem to bother him much though.
> 
> Phantom: nope.
> 
> Danny: screw you Phantom.
> 
> Phantom: not this early in the fanfic.
> 
> Me: PHANTOM DON'T SPOIL IT.
> 
> Phantom: oh... I mean... Danny dies in the next chapter.
> 
> Danny: ...
> 
> Me: ... *Face palm*


	4. Tough Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited

Jack Fenton groaned, dizzier than when his wife accidentally bashed his head with a piece of equipment they were working on. Pain shot through every nerve of his eyes and as he reached up to rub at a tender spot on the side of his forehead, he could feel the large bump that formed there. He winced when his fingers brushed over it but did his best to clear his vision and look around.

The first thing he noticed was he was on a rock, and above the crash of the waves, he could hear a strange humming noise. It was almost a pleasant noise, it would probably be more pleasant if his head wasn't pounding at the moment.

What had happened?

He and his son were on a boat, they were fishing, minding their own business, and then...

His eyes widened, searching around through blurred vision, "Danny?" where was his son?

Movement caught his eye, he looked over to where his son was leaning over the edge of their island. Suddenly his vision cleared and his heart stopped when he caught sight of one of those _things_ that had attacked them. "Danny, no!" he scrambled to get up off his butt and rush over to Danny as fast as he could, but it was too late. The creature with white hair had dragged his son so far down that Jack couldn't even see him anymore.

Without even bothering to think as pure unadulterated fear bled into his chest, Jack dove into the water, sure that if he was quick enough he could grab Danny from the monster before it was too late.

But the water was too thick, he couldn't see a thing, he didn't even know which direction he came from. He desperately searched around the water, but he couldn't see anything but water and sand let alone his raven-haired son.

Soon he had no choice but to go up for air, but as soon as he caught his breath he went back down to search again. Repeating that over and over until his arms and legs were tired from swimming through the murky water and started to feel like jelly.

He climbed back up on the island panting for breath, his body feeling heavier than ever before. His son was gone, his pride and joy. He would never see him again, ever. He knew what those things would do to him, he knew the torture they would put his son threw as they ripped him apart while he was still alive.

Jack fell from his hands and knees, rolling onto his back and covered his face with his eyes. His son was probably being eaten alive at that very moment and he couldn't do anything about it but lay there, and wait for the tide to come in.

This was all his fault.

...

Phantom's eyes broke the surface, landing on the fat man lying back on the rock with an arm over his eyes. Phantom could read him just as clear as he could read the younger boy trapped below them.

The man was wallowing in self-hatred and blame, waiting for death to come and put him out of his misery.

Phantom hummed seeing that the tide had picked up a lot, the island that the man rested on was barely above the surface anymore.

The man looked fat enough to feed the mermaids for a couple days, a delicious meal that would be savory and satisfying.

Phantom dove down, purposely creating a splash, and watched as the man sat up in suspicion at the sound. Fear could be felt making its way into the older humans being as he stood up and looked around him at the seemingly innocent waters.

Jack couldn't see Phantom where he sat watching him in the deeper part of the cove through the murkiness of the water, but Phantom could see the man clearly as if the only barrier between them was a dusty piece of glass. He smirked, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The older man was nearly unsuspecting, he didn't know what was going to happen.

Phantom wanted to play.

He got up from his spot and swam quickly up to the surface, making sure he was just barely out of the human's line of sight. He jumped out and dove back in, loving the sight of the human whipping around to watch as the water rippled from Phantom's teasing. The spike in the human's nerves from his actions was intoxicating. The human had no idea where Phantom even was, he would have been safer with a great white shark circling him.

Phantom swam against the surface, making sure the human caught sight of him before diving down.

He wanted the human to be afraid, wanted him to feel trapped. He wanted the human to know that he was completely at Phantom's mercy, that Phantom was in control.

Sadly his game had to come to an end, he knew the mermaids were all hungry and would be there soon.

Pitty, he was having so much fun with this pathetic humans panic.

"Oh well," he thought as he made a U-turn underwater and swam full speed towards the surface.

Jack Fenton watched in horror as the creature burst out of the water, arms outreached for him, and tackled him off the rock.

Water rushed up his nose and into his mouth as he was pulled under the salt water. They were moving faster than Jack could even measure, it had to be around 100 miles per hour, the pressure from the water rushing at him from behind was painful.

Where were they going? He knew already that he wasn't being dragged downward, there wasn't enough water pressure on his skull and they couldn't be more than a few feet deep.

He was still fighting to get the salt water out of his nose when he was suddenly thrown from the arms of the creature that had been digging his claws into his sides.

His head came above the water and after a coughing fit, he was able to clear the water from his eyes and look around. The burn from the sea water made him have to blink a few times before he was actually able to see.

He was sitting only a few feet deep into the water, the beach only ten feet behind him. He gasped in surprise and looked back towards the sea where the cove he was just in sat innocently those 200 meters away.

The merman that had attacked him and taken his son was floating a few inches away from his body, watching him with those blistering neon green eyes. The look in the creature was giving him chilled him to the bone.

"Don't come back." It said out loud, it's voice masculine but childish.

It disappeared a second later, and Jack stood up, only knee deep in the water. "WHERE IS MY SON!?" he screamed out desperately, but he didn't receive an answer.

He backed up, confused to why the merman saved him. He didn't care what the reason was however, his son had to be alive and he wasn't going to waste even a minute to search for him.

He ran the rest of the way out of the water and to his car.

He would find his son no matter what it took.

...

"Who let them escape?"  Spectra, an angry green eyed mermaid with red hair hissed at the sight of the empty island barely peaking above the surface.

Dozens of heads peaked above the water, while more looked for a drowned carcass below and around the cove. Their meal hadn't drowned, so it had to have gotten away.

Ember regarded the empty island with irritation, "didn't anyone stay behind to watch it?"

"I thought that was Kitty's job," Desire said, the wish mermaid turned her angry only visible red eye on the green mermaid with the dreds.

"What?!" The mermaid with poisonous black lips screeched, "I thought you said you would keep watch!"

"Nevermind! Both if you." Spectra said, "let's just talk to Phantom, he took the gay one while we were gone. Maybe he will share what's left."

"Ha! That's rich." Samantha, the mermaid who controls vegetation said, her green pupilless eyes snarled at the rest of the group from where she sat a couple feet up out of the water. Seaweed covered her breasts and her raven hair was straight and short. "Phantom is more selfish than any of us, you all know that. You might as well be asking him to give up his powers for the rest of eternity."

"She's a little right," Danielle, the youngest out of all of them and by far the sweetest said. She was practically the spitting image of Phantom, only younger, female, and less powerful. Most of the mermaids often questioned if they were related somehow, though the two denied it with a passion. "Phantom's never done anything nice for us, other than telling us when it's time to immigrate."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Ember asked.

"Same as we've always done," Samantha said quietly, eyes hooded and avoiding eye contact with everyone as usual for her. "We wait for the right prey to step up to our door."

The rest of the mermaids were angry, they knew that this was all they could do now. They wouldn't dare try to hunt out of the safety of the cove, and it wasn't as if they were going to starve to death by waiting a few days for someone to come. They could live up to a year without human flesh, it sucked majorly to do so, however, because they would feel the hunger pains before the first two weeks were even over.

It had already been three since their last meal, and they were starting to really squirm. It didn't matter, they were patient. They could hold for a little longer.

It wasn't as if they had a choice.

...

Danny hated the dark,  especially when all he could hear was the hum of the blood rushing through his head. He couldn't see anything, and he kept thinking he was about to feel something grab him from behind or bite into him. He hated that he couldn't see what was going on around him. For all he knew, there could be a dozen curious meat-eating fish swimming around him and he wouldn't know. He could almost say he liked it better when his capture was there, at least then he could see what was going on, and expect what was going to happen, but right now he was walking a tight rope blindfolded.

His wish was granted when a glow of light shined in through the entrance of this particular cave he was in. Danny looked up to watch as the white-haired merman swam through the small hole and down to him, his fins flapping beautifully as he moved through the water.

The merman really was the embodiment of what Danny thought beauty really was.

If only he wasn't so evil.

Phantom smirked as his natural light hit his human, now able to see the color in his features instead if the black and white if his night vision. The boy's eyes had gotten used to the salt from the water and weren't bright red from burning anymore. He was so pale, and the red bite marks that he left littered across the porcelain and otherwise flawless skin were a beautiful contrast to his creamy and slightly tanned body.

The jewelry he had dressed him in was initially there just because Phantom thought they would look good on him, the blue jewels brought out the blue in the boy's eyes. He also liked eating off something that looked fit for a king.

Now the merman just wanted to stare at him and admire both the kid's natural beauty and his own handiwork. The kid was his now, he belonged to Phantom, and he would allow him to heal up until the next time he gets hungry. In the meantime, he was just a priceless jewel that held his interest for more than a few minutes.

Danny regarded the staring the merman was giving him, unsure what it was thinking about. Lately, it was like the merman could hear everything he was thinking about if his telepathic responses were anything to go by. He wondered if he was listening to his thoughts now.

"Yes." He heard clearly in his head, the merman's smirk increasing.

Good, at least he knew how to communicate.

"Why haven't you killed me?" He thought, hoping the thought would receive an answer. So this is how merpeople communicated under water? It was strange, knowing that the merman had heard and would hear his every thought.

The only answer he got was an off-handed and careless shrug.

"Where is my father?"

Phantom just shrugged again, much to Danny's irritation. He hoped the merman could feel just how much he wanted to strangle him.

"I don't need to breathe." The merman started to swim small circles around his human, taking in everything about the mortal. Lucky for the human, those little threats that he throws at the merman didn't faze or anger him even the slightest, in fact, if anything Phantom just thought it was funny.

 _So_ , Danny thought, _he's picking and choosing what questions to answer, huh? How childish_.

The merman's tail fin brushed under his nose as a house cat would do to its mate. It tickled, and if Danny didn't hate the creature with a burning passion he would be able to enjoy how soft it was on his face. The translucent white fins blended into black tips and contrasted against the black tail beautifully. The dorsal and secondary dorsal fins matched the tail ones in both translucence and blend. It was entrapping and manipulative- how pretty the merman actually was. Danny would have loved to sit and stare at it for hours under different circumstances, but at the moment while his hands were tied and his ankle was chained, all he wanted was to get as far away from this 'myth' as possible.

Phantom came up from behind him and peaked his head over the human's shoulder. He pinched Danny's cheek like a great aunt would when they see their nephew for the first time in ten years. "I'll take your hatred, human."

Danny growled underwater, his name wasn't human, it was fucking Danny Fenton.

"How long are you planning on keeping me here?" Danny made sure to throw the thought at the merman, wanting it to know how miffed he was at his situation.

"Until I get bored of you."

"Is my father trapped here somewhere too?"

The merman didn't answer, and the fact that he wasn't giving any sort of information on the status of his father was really pissing him off in the most helpless sort of way. He _needed_ to know that his father was okay, that he wasn't trapped down here somewhere like cattle, that he hadn't been eaten alive viciously by man-eating mermaids.

Phantom wasn't about to tell the boy anything; if he told the kid then the mermaids would be able to read his mind, and then they would all come after him for not only allowing their meal to escape but actually _helping_ the human to do so. Phantom didn't feel like going through the drama of having to protect his human from their spiteful fit of hungry rage. He knew that the human wouldn't be worth the energy to fight them off, and he sort of wanted to keep him for as long as he could.

He didn't know why he even bothered saving the kids father, he had no idea what he had to gain from it. He was a very selfish being, and he was male enough to admit it, but he had no reason to steal away from the entire coves food.

Perhaps his only reason was simply that he felt like it. As baffling as it was, he felt like abiding by the human's wishes. Perhaps the human had spiked his interest just enough to persuade him to save his father.

Lucky him.

He shrugged it off, the mermaids were strong, and nowhere near starving to death. If they wanted food, then they would get it themselves.

Danny's stomach growled irritatingly loud, and Phantom looked down at the boy's stomach. He was painfully aware of the differences between his own kind and this fragile human being. While Phantom himself was already thousands of years old and would live for the next millennia assuming he wasn't killed, he knew the human's life span was barely below a hundred years. Phantom could go a year without devouring a human, while the boy could only go a few short weeks before he would die of starvation. Merpeople didn't need hydration as long as they stayed in the water, while the smallest about of the liquid meant the difference between life and death for humans.

Lucky for Danny, humans absorbed water through their skin the longer they stayed in it because Phantom wouldn't have cared enough to deal with getting the human fresh clean water to drink.

This kid really was just a lucky son of a bitch.

...

It was nearly 7 in the evening when Jack Fenton finally made it home. He was still soaking wet and full of the grime from the sea water. Most of it collected around his thighs and his ankles after dripping for a couple hours on the drive home from the beach. His wife wasn't expecting him back until tomorrow, but he didn't have time to call on his way home. Well more like he didn't have the _patience_ to call in the middle of honking and screaming his way through traffic all through the drive.

Jack flew through the driver door and fumbled with the keys to the house. After a few attempts in getting the right key into the lock, he successfully got himself into the house.

"Maddie!" Jack yelled as loud as he could, expecting to hear his wife scream back or at least show herself, but all he got was a few thumps in the ceiling above his head.

At least he knew where she was and could run up to talk to her, he didn't have time to wait for her to come down, so he ran up the stairs to their shared bedroom and opened the door.

The last thing he was ever expecting to see was his wife half naked attempting to help Vlad, his college friend of twenty years, out the window.

"What the blazes is going on here?!" He shouted, his son momentarily forgotten as he ran up to the window to wrap his hands around Vlad's neck and break it. Unfortunately, Vlad jumped before he could get his hands on him.

The amount of rage and pain that companies the fear for his son was crippling in such a way that he wasn't sure if he wanted to let it escalate into a blind frenzy of physical anger, or crawl into a hole and die.

He swallowed his pain down and turned towards his adulteress of a wife, for the first time ever the tears in her eyes did nothing to soften the man's anger.

This was a conversation they could have later, their son was on the line right now.

"Jack, it's not what it-"

"Save your excuses for later Maddie, we have bigger things to worry about." He walked passed her to the door, unable to look at her anymore. "The merpeople kidnapped our boy, we need to ready the Fenton submarine and find him." With that, he made his way back downstairs to the Fenton lab.

Maddie was stuck where her husband left her. What did he say? Her boy, her _baby_ , was kidnapped by those creatures? As if a pile of flashcards was dropped in front of her face, dozens of facts about merpeople and how evil and sadistic they could be to their prey flashed across her brain.

The fear and the desperation she felt to find her son outweighed the shock from her husband finding her and Vlad together, and she quickly put her pants and her discarded blue tank on and followed her husband down to the lab.

They couldn't waste another minute.


	5. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited

It was dark again. Too dark.

Danny's eyes stayed hooded and only cracked open slightly as he let himself float there alone in the cave. He didn't know how many days had passed, he only knew it was impossible for his dad to be alive at this point. The loss of his father penetrated the darkest depths of his soul and spread like poison threw out his person. It was hard to believe that his father, the man that had raised and taken care of him since birth, was gone. He may not have always been there when he needed him in the last few years as he got more and more into his research, but he was still his father, and he had always loved him.

It was really cold in this cave. Danny didn't understand how he wasn't dying of hypothermia right now, it had to be close to freezing. Maybe it was another side effect to the merman constantly kissing him. The white-haired creature had told him a while ago that he only did that so that he would be able to breathe underwater. It was the only reason Danny had stopped fighting it when it happened, he wasn't fond of the idea of drowning.

Still, it was freezing. Danny wished that he could have a little sun.

Oh, the sun.

Would he ever see that again? It felt like a lifetime since the last time he saw the light of day, it was starting to make him feel a little more desperate than when he first got there. It was like the only thing standing between him and insanity, was the small chance his kidnapper would ever allow him to visit the surface, even for a little bit.

Speaking of his kidnapper, a soft glow shined in from the entrance behind him.

"How's my little pet doing? Did you miss Daddy?" he teased playfully as he dragged his body to brush across Danny's torso as he swam by.

Danny's eyes narrowed at the merman, the fire in his eyes showed just how much he found Phantom's playful teasing humorous.

Phantom started humming that same pretty tune he had done back on the surface before he had dragged Danny down there, minus the hypnosis, as he swam around the human to untie his hands. He put a wad of seaweed in the kid's hand, expecting him to eat it.

Danny stretched his arms for a second before putting the seaweed in his mouth and taking a bite. He tried not to think about all the bacteria and the amount of salt that was in the disgusting raw vegetation as he chewed. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and he knew that Phantom wasn't about to start swimming around for fresh chicken just for him. This was all that he was going to be given to eat, so he had to just suck it up and chew.

He could hear the crunch of the weeds as he chewed, and tried to focus more on that noise and not think about the flavor.

_Chew, chew, swallow. Chew, chew, swallow._

"Did my pet have something he wanted to ask me?" Phantom was suddenly inches from his face, allowing no room for Danny to refuse eye contact.

Danny gave the merman a salty look, even more salty than the raw weeds in his mouth that he was forced to eat.

"You're going to have to ask me for it," Phantom smirked at the irritated boy. He knew the last thing Fenton wanted to do was ask Phantom for anything politely, but he completely got off on the kid's emotions. Playing with them was the single most entertaining thing he had come across in a long while. He knew Danny wanted so bad to see the surface, and Phantom wasn't against obliging, but he was going to train the kid to ask nicely when he wanted something.

 _Ask and he shall receive_. It wasn't rocket science, and it wasn't hard. Say nothing, and he would spend the rest of his life in the dark like a prisoner and rot.

How unnecessary.

Fenton swallowed his nasty food, regarding Phantom with as much malice as he could with tired eyes. He knew Phantom was doing this just to get on his nerves, knew that the merman was well aware of what Danny wanted, but wanted Danny to give up some of his dignity and beg.

"Like a puppy," Phantom confirmed.

Danny took a breath, anger blistering inside him and screaming for him not to do it. He has never been a beggar. Not once in his life has he ever begged for anything from someone he considered an enemy, and Danny had a lot of enemies in his life as a gay geek.

But, he wanted to see the sun so badly, and he knew that this evil creature was not going to even consider letting him if he didn't do exactly as he wanted.

Danny growled openly, baring his dull teeth. He would never beg.

Phantom smirked and shrugged, starting to make his way up and out of the cave.

How the next few hours would be spent flashed across Danny's head. He couldn't handle another few hours alone in the dark, and as if it was some sort of survival instinct, his mind screamed for Phantom to stop leaving him.

Phantom turned, just inside the entrance, and looked down at his human. He waited for his pathetic pride to diminish and allow himself to give in.

"Please," he could hear Fenton thinking it, could also tell that the human was grateful that he at least didn't need to say it out loud, "Don't leave me down here."

The desperation and the desire to sob morphed a deep hole in Danny's core. He had lost his freedom, his life, and his family because of this creature in the span of a few short days. Now he was doomed to a short life of entertaining the evil merman, however long it may be. His life was completely dependent on the merman now. If the one with white hair decided he was hungry, he would feed off Danny. It was the merman that decided if Danny breathed or not. It was him that decided if Danny ate or not. Ultimately, it was Phantom that would decide if Danny lived or not.

"Just let me go to the surface for a little bit, please." Danny swallowed his pride and begged, refusing to let Phantom see his eyes.

Phantom smiled down at the kid, baring his sharp fangs.

A second later he was again inches from Danny's face, gripping the kids raven hair tightly to force eye contact. The pain from the grip on the back of his head caused the fire to return in Danny's defeated blue eyes, and Phantom adored them.

"What's in it for me, pet?"

Danny's anger flared, both from the nickname and from what he said.

He had already taken his freedom, his dignity, his family, even his clothes! What more could he possibly want from him?

"Sing me a song." The request was simple, yet was asking so much from Danny.

The sun...

Danny knew he would do anything at this point just for some sunlight. Even for a few minutes.

Phantom smiled, and Danny's eyes landed on the razor sharp fangs. He knew that they were there, but seeing them so close to his face was unnerving.

A rush of excitement flew through Danny when Phantom undid the ankle cuff, making the corners of his mouth perk up slightly for the first time since before this nightmare began. He had been wondering if Phantom would actually let this happen, he'd had a suspicion that even if he did beg, the merman wouldn't have done anything. He thought maybe the merman had only wanted the satisfaction of seeing Danny break a little.

He was actually grateful that wasn't the case.

Phantom grabbed around Danny's waist and took him up.

Turns out, he was much farther down then he originally thought he was, but when he started to see daylight reflecting through the water and shimmering off the rocks, Danny's excitement grew, and he began to feel impatient.

The heat from the sun was unlike anything he'd ever felt.

It was warm.

It was the proof he needed that he was alive.

The breath of air he took was foreign after breathing underwater for so long, but it was welcome. The light was so bright it hurt his eyes for a brief few minutes, the sensitivity coming from spending so much time in the dark.

Phantom shoved him onto a familiar island peaking a few feet above the surface, it held so many dark memories and yet it was the first dry land he had been on for who knew how long. He wanted to kiss it hello like he and this rock were long lost lovers. He didn't however, instead, letting his body drop onto it to feel its heat.

His skin felt like it would tear if he brushed his fingers against the rock the wrong way. But, it didn't stop him from shifting into a more comfortable position facing towards the sky. He panted with his mouth open, wanting to savor the fresh air, get as much of it as possible in his system.

The sight of the baby blue sky made his vision blurry in the happiest way possible. He had taken daylight for granted before all of this and had never truly taken the time to appreciate the heat from the sun's rays until now.

It was so beautiful.

"Pet." The voice was verbal now, and the sound of it made him forget for a moment that the was being treated like an animal. He turned his head to see Phantom's smirking face as he held up a sealed water bottle, and Danny damn near thought Phantom had brought him the Holy fucking Grail. "Look what I just found."

Danny reached for it, and Phantom allowed him to grab it. The kid unsealed the lid and the second the cool water hit his parched tongue he felt almost sick from dehydration.

He set it down after a good couple gulps, deciding he should probably save the rest of that. He lay back down and sighed, soaking in the sun's rays and enjoying the much-needed warmth it brought.

Phantom watched him closely as the salt water started dripping off his bare body, adoring the creamy light tan on his human's skin. Most of the humans he had seen naked in his life always had hideous tan lines, but Danny didn't, so his body was this consistent, flawless, caramel vanilla color that he hadn't seen much of in the last couple thousand years.

"I'm waiting, precious."

Danny's eyes opened to slits, Phantom's voice was gentle, and gruff in a childish way. If Danny didn't despise the creature with every ounce of his being, then he would probably be able to say that his voice was almost hot.

Danny took a breath, knowing what Phantom wanted.

A deals a deal.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,"

He sang it softly, not sounding half bad in his opinion.

"Take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive."

Phantom was shocked that a human could sound so nice. Danny didn't pretend to be a better singer than he actually was, he used _his_ voice, and sounded comfortable with it.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night.  
Take these broken eyes and learn to sing.  
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free."

Danny remembered when his mother used to sing this to him when he was younger, he knew she was a better singer but he didn't really care about that at the moment. Thinking about his mom, and the possibility that he'll never see her again, made him more depressed then he ever thought he could be. What was she doing right now? How was she coping with her husband and sons disappearance? How was she going to react when the police gave up the search and told her they were most likely dead?

"Blackbird fly,  
Blackbird fly.  
Into the light of the dark black night. Ohhhh oh."

Phantom put his head down, resting his cheek on his arms which were holding him half way up on the rock Danny perched on. He shut his eyes, his long black tail flapping gently in the water behind him as he listened.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night.   
Take these broken wings and learn to fly.   
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive."

Danny hummed as the song started to end, his body was mostly dry, except for the places the sun can't reach. He couldn't get enough of the heat though, he didn't want to close his eyes for more than half a second, he didn't know when the next time he would see the light of day would be.

If he ever saw it again.

Phantom opened his green eyes and looked at his pet when he stopped humming. He could hear that he was thinking about his mom, dad, and his sister and how much he missed them, but all Phantom could think about was how much he would miss Danny's flavor if he let him go.

The fat man had come back, despite Phantom's warning never to do so again, and he had brought a submarine and backup.

Lucky for them, the mermaids had been sleeping, all of them. If they hadn't been, he knew that they would have torn right into the sub, and Phantom's save would have been meaningless.

Stupid man.

Phantom wouldn't lift a finger to help them if they come back and the mermaids got through the subs walls.

He had his chance to live the rest of his pathetic life, and not only is he choosing to squash the opportunity down, but he also brought his wife along to die with him, and for what? A stupid kid.

Phantom would never understand why human adults cared so much for their young. That emotion they called 'love' seemed to drive them to do stupid things just to protect children.

Children were naturally stupid, careless, and unable to function without someone telling them what to do or how to live, while adults seemed to be much smarter. He didn't understand why they would risk everything just to protect one worthless child when they could just have another, and another, and another. Adults were far more important than kids because kids didn't even know how to live in the world, they couldn't take care of themselves. Yet adult humans would allow themselves to die if it meant their kids could live even one more day.

It was interesting in the most annoying way possible.

Phantom reached a hand up and gently pet the skin on the boy's cheek. _What lengths would those humans go to get Danny back_?

The merman considered telling the mermaids it was time to travel again but thought against it a second later. Why bother? The mermaids were masters of that game, avoid and evade. They had been doing it for thousands of years; keeping from exploiting their existence to such a primitive race.

The humans would need those ridiculous suites to go any farther than a few feet down, and the bulkiness would prevent them from being able to make it into any of the mermaids caves. He also knew they were refraining from using their rockets or guns because they are under the impression that Danny was being kept there somewhere, and wasn't willing to take the chance of taking the whole cove down on top of him. They would never find them.

Even if these things weren't true, the humans had no idea what they were up against. They think they are professional mermaid hunters, but they had no idea what exactly they were messing with.

Phantom was still petting Danny's cheek, shocked that the human didn't recoil from his touch like he usually did. His perfectly sculpted face was calm and tranquil, and the serenity Phantom could see there made the already beautiful creature even more adoring.

It was then, as Phantom stared, that he decided the kid was worth protecting for a while. Just because he was so nice to look at, his flavor was the best Phantom had in a long time, and he was naturally too remarkably entertaining to let die.

His parents wanted to take Danny away from him?

Bring it on.

They stayed like that for a couple hours, Danny hardly moved while Phantom had to periodically swim under for a minute to keep from drying out. The sun hadn't been out for too long, and only about thirty minutes after they surfaced, the sky started to get darker, going from a light sky blue to a beautiful mix of purple and yellow.

Phantom came up from one of his much-needed swims and watched Danny for a few more minutes before he reached a hand up and gently brushed the windblown raven locks off his forehead.

"What do you say when you get what you want, pet?" He spoke aloud, combing the kid's hair with his taloned fingers and smirked in satisfaction when Danny liked the feeling.

"Thank you," Danny didn't even hesitate. He was much too grateful to have gotten a good long break from the cold dark cave. He was grateful Phantom had given him hours instead of the minutes that he thought he would get.

He only hoped he would be given the privilege again.

Phantom smiled. It wasn't just a grin or even an evil smirk, it was a smile that he himself didn't even notice he had. Danny saw it though, and his first instinct was to admire it.

Phantom rolled his eyes, not sure why he smiled at all.

"It's time to go back."

Danny's face fell, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it.

Phantom backed away from the edge of the island, expecting Danny to get in.

He did.

Shivering from the cold, Danny eased himself into the water and allowed Phantom to grab ahold of him. From the way they were positioned with Phantom's arms securely around the raven's waist, Danny was forced to hold on to the merman's shoulders as the other leaned in.

The kiss was a little slower than usual, and though Danny refused to kiss back, he had to fight to not enjoy it a little. Phantom's lips were soft and practiced, and though the kiss lacked any emotion at all, it was the most tender kiss he had gotten from the creature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh.
> 
> The build.
> 
> *Secretly wishing for some fanart...*
> 
> Thanks for the Kudo's on this story!
> 
> Please don't hesitate to review and comment on my grammar, constructive criticism is appreciated.


	6. Desperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Maddie and Jack had just gotten back from their first attempt in finding their son. They had been searching from the time Jack first got home until 5 pm the next day due to circumstances that were out of their control. They were unable to search day and night like they wanted because the stupid Fenton submarine required a periodic gas filling, and needed to rest for the night to keep from burning up and shutting down. The Fenton's had yet to work out the kinks in the machine, so if they used it for too long, it would stop working. If it stopped working, then not only would they be trapped at the bottom of the sea, they also wouldn't be able to get out of the submarine. Lots of things could go wrong if they got trapped in the sub while searching for Danny; they could freeze, they could run out of air, or they could be killed when the water pressure became too much for the submarine in it's out of order state.

While the parents kept up the teamwork when trying to find their son, the tension between them was thicker than Danny's teenage skull. Jack got out of the car without bothering to check if Maddie was following him, he was depressed about his current status with his wife and too torn about having to give up the search for his son for the night to deal with her.

Maddie didn't say a word as she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the Fenton assault vehicle, she just followed after her husband into the house. 

It was cold and empty, like her heart at the moment. The house didn't have the normal warmth that it usually did when Danny was there, and the awkward tension between her and Jack did nothing to ease the forlorn silence throughout the house. Neither of them said a word to each other as Jack went into the kitchen to grab some leftover meatloaf and the bucket of fudge with a coke. He didn't even care enough to warm the meat up, not wanting to be anywhere near his cheating wife at the moment.

Maddie had followed him into the kitchen but didn't say anything as she watched her husband grab his comfort food, she wanted to talk, to say something to ease the awkwardness between them, but what could she possibly say?

"I'm going to bed," was the only thing Jack said to her as he walked out of the kitchen towards the stairs, "You can sleep in Jazz's room."

Jazz.

Maddie couldn't believe that they had forgotten about her.

Their 17-year-old genius of a daughter had already left and was a freshman in college, she had no idea that her brother was missing. She briefly considered not telling her, knowing that it would put her under a lot of stress, which she didn't need while in college, but she slapped herself for thinking that. Jazz had always loved her little brother more than anything in the world, they had always been close, and Jazz needed to know that her brother was gone.

While her husband slammed the door upstairs, she sat down on the end of the couch and picked up the phone.

...

"What do you mean, ' _Danny is missing_?!'" Jazz's ear piercing shocked voice yelled into her mom's ear, "Where is he?"

"Don't freak out Jazz, I'm sure your brother is fine." Maddie said more for herself then for Jazz, "He's just been kidnapped by a community of mermaids is all, I'm sure we will find him in the next few days." she failed to mention the odds of Danny actually being alive, not wanting to think about it herself. Her son was definitely alive, he had to be, and if he wasn't... then Maddie wouldn't stop looking until she found some proof of him being there. And after she did that, she would be sure to hunt down every last one of them and tear them apart molecule by molecule.

"I'm coming home." Jazz stated it didn't sound like a question.

"Jazz, sweetie, no. Your father and I can handle this." she felt like such a liar for withholding such important information, like how much she and her husband _couldn't_ handle this, let alone each other. "You need to stay behind and make sure your GPA stays high so that you can get next semester free."

Jazz's eyes narrowed at the phone. "Mom, if you think for one second that saving money for school is more important then finding my brother, then you got another thing coming. Like me. Tomorrow. I will be on the first plane back to Amity Park, and you can't stop me." she hung up the phone after that and got up to go to her room to start packing. The thought that her brother was being held captive, possibly dead, caused a great amount of dread to cover her. As if someone had taken a bucket of fear, desperation, and panic and dumped it over her head. She needed to get back to Amity Park, she couldn't handle the loss of her brother, she would break down and probably never be the same again.

Her roommate, Victoria, knocked on her bedroom door, peaking in with concerned eyes. She had heard the whole conversation in their shared living room and had come over to see if Jazz was okay.

"Jazz?" Vicky asked, her red bangs covered her pink eyes and her unflattering green crop top could be seen through the crack in the doorway. She watched as her roommate threw her suitcase on the bed and started throwing her belongings inside. "You good?"

"Sorry, Vicky." Jazz said as she threw multiple pairs of black pants into her bag, "I have a major crisis back home, I need to leave for a bit."

"Is your brother okay?" Vicky didn't have any siblings, but she was a babysitter for a 10-year-old she knew for a while now, and though she was the meanest person on the planet to him, she could only imagine how much it would freak her out if he ever went missing. Jazz had framed dozens of pictures of her family all over the apartment, and would often be unable to shut up about her brother and her home life growing up with him. Vicky felt like she practically knew the kid.

Jazz paused, unsure what the answer was. "He better be, I swear to god if he gets himself killed, I'm going to kill him." Vicky had always been jealous of Jazz's relationship with her brother. She had always wanted siblings growing up, but her parents divorced shortly after she was born and never got with anyone after that.

"I'll send you your homework, maybe there's a chance they won't drop your courses if you keep sending in your assignments." Vicky tried to offer the most help she could think of, it was all she could do for Jazz.

Without answering with more than a rushed 'thanks', Jazz jumped on her computer when she was done packing, not willing to miss any of the flights that took off tomorrow. There was only one left and it took off tomorrow at 4 in the morning, and all the seats were full except for one in 1st class. She growled when she saw the price of the ticket, but she didn't have a choice, if she waited another minute, that seat would be gone and she would have to wait until next week. She typed in the number on her debit card, making the payment of $1300 and immediately called an uber to come and pick her up ASAP.

She lived and worked on campus, so she never thought it was necessary to get a car so early in her life, but now she was regretting that choice as it took 30 minutes for the Uber to pick her up. It was a four-hour drive to the nearest airport, and Jazz could only hope that she would get on the plane in time.

...

"Jack." Maddie opened the door without bothering to knock, "Jazz is on her way home, she said she would be here tomorrow."

"Okay." the depressed and annoyed 40-year-old said, waiting for his wife to either say something else of importance or just go away. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

"Jack, we need to talk." She said sternly as if she had room to demand a chat.

"About what, Maddie?" the man hissed out angrily, the dam holding back his emotions breaking. "About how you cheated on me? About how our family is falling apart? About how things will never be the same between us? How about what the hell we are going to say to break the news to our children?"

Maddie was at a loss for words for a second, but Jack wasn't done, "How about we talk about them, Madeline. The two angels that we brought into this earth _together_. Were you even thinking about them when you fell into bed with my best friend?"

The woman frowned, her eyes becoming glassy as she looked for the words to say to her heart broken husband.

"How long has that been going on? Danny... Is he even mine?" The last sentence took a lot of effort to get out, the thought that the son he loved so much may not even be _his_ burned a white-hot hole in his heart. He had noticed that Danny didn't have either his or his moms eyes, had noticed that Danny hardly looked anything like him. He would always love Danny as his own, and if he ever found him, he would never treat him any differently. But how could he be sure that Danny was his, and not Vlad's?

"Of course he's your's, Jack, I swear Vlad and I have only done it a few times. I love you and our kids more than anyone in this world."

"Don't say that to me, how long has it been going on?" He demanded more than asked the question, hearing Maddie say that she loved him did nothing but burn his ears. It scared him when he thought about how quickly things had changed, all it took was one mistake and suddenly the love that he thought he was receiving from his wife turned to poison, and infected every muscle in his head.

Maddie didn't answer, and Jack's eyes turned stoney as he demanded again, "How long."

The woman knew her answer only proved that she was a terrible human being who lacked the integrity to stay faithful to the man that she married. She truly did love him, even if he didn't believe her anymore, so she decided it was time to stop lying.

"Since we got engaged." Hopefully, he could find it in his big heart to forgive her someday.

Jacks eyes widened, feeling more betrayal then he thought one person could ever handle. He put his face in his hands, unable to look at the beautiful woman he had loved for over 25 years. 

"We say nothing to Jazz," he said after a few tormentingly silent minutes. She would be going through enough when she got here and would have to suffer more when they looked for Danny. They could wait to break the news to her for a while. "She's going to need all the strength she can muster until we can find Danny, she doesn't need us dragging her further down with our divorce."

Maddie felt as if her whole world fell apart right then, "Divorce?" she asked quietly, hoping that her husband didn't mean it.

Jack's eyes narrowed at her, "Yes, _divorce_. Did you think we could just move on from this after I found out that our marriage was a _sham_ for the last 20 years?"

Tears did fall then from Maddie Fenton's eyes, her husband wanted to leave her. After 20 years of marriage and 2 kids, he wanted to leave her.

She opened the door behind her and left, she couldn't start the heat from Jacks glare anymore, she needed to get out. She ran down the stairs and grabbed her keys before jumping in the RV and started it, needing a drink more than she ever thought she would. They only had one car, since they both shared the same self-employment, and did everything together. They had been more than husband and wife for the last 20 years, they had been best friends, _partners_ , and she had ruined it all.

This was all her fault.

...

It was days after Jazz got home, and about the 5th time that they had gone into the sub to search for any sign of Danny. No luck at all, they hadn't even caught sight of even _one_ mermaid. Jazz searched around the vacant water, the cove ran very deep but there were areas that they couldn't get through to. 

She had never seen a mermaid before, and she kept wondering if her Dads story was true, or if Danny had actually just been eaten by a shark or something. She had always believed that Mermaids and sirens were a thing of myth, make-believe, and was still having trouble believing her father's claims. It didn't seem logical that a community of mermaids had attacked them, and yet her dad survived. Mermaids were supposed to be vicious, and have the power to hypnotize men, even if they were already married. She couldn't understand how her father could say he encountered them when he made it out alive but her brother didn't.

 _He's still alive_ , Jazz thought shaking her head. She needed to stop thinking like they had already accepted he was gone.

...

Spectra peered over the edge of the rock that hid her from the view of the humans in the ridiculously bulky machine. Her green eyes were glowing and piercing through the slightly less murky deep water. She could see the humans through the big glass window, there were three, and they were looking for their son again.

They had seen these people coming around every day now, but so far they had left the humans alone, simply due to the fact they were in a submarine. The mermaids were definitely strong enough to bust through it of course, but why go through the trouble? Why risk injuring themselves if there was a chance that the humans had more weapons like the one the gay brat used on them? If they were desperate enough to find the boy, then they would come out of the submarine and swim to look for him.

As easy as it would be to lure the human male out of the sub, he had two other females with him that wouldn't be hypnotized without Phantom's help. They didn't bother asking the only merman in the cove, they already knew the answer.

The mermaids were all patient, they knew their meal would come to them, it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Another chapter posted just a day later !
> 
> Buda bu bu bu I'm loving it.


	7. Deep Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Tucker and Sam were sitting in the goths mansion, sipping chocolate soy milkshakes. It had been a few days since they last saw Danny and they were starting to wonder why he wasn't answering their texts.

"Why isn't Danny answering my texts?" Tucker asked, looking down at his cell phone and his PDA at the dozens of unread texts he has sent in the last three days.

Ever since they were all small children, they hadn't gone more than two days without talking to each other. Even when they were fighting about something they would still text one another, albeit it was mostly to be salty and mean, but it was still communication.

"I know, he hasn't answered me either," Sam picked up her charging phone, glaring down suspiciously at her unanswered texts. It wasn't like Danny to ignore them for more than a day. He hadn't even done that when she told him she never wanted to see him again after he made fun of her outfit that one time when her parents were punishing her with girly clothes.

It may be true that he forgot his cell at home before he left for the fishing trip, but Danny should have been back Monday for school. It was now Tuesday evening and he never showed up in the last two days.

"Maybe we should stop by his house and check on him," Tucker suggested, "What if Vlad..." He didn't finish, regretting saying his first major concern out loud.

Sam dropped her soy milkshake, and the glass dropped to the floor shattering into dozens of sticky pieces. Her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open at Tucker's implication, the fact that it could be a real possibility only made her more afraid.

She got up quickly and grabbed her phone off the charger, and Tucker wondered if he should have said anything about Vlad. "Sam, let's not jump to conclusions." He tried to settle her down a little, knowing the overprotective goth chick of a friend would tear down buildings when it came to him and Danny.

One time when she found out from Danny that Dash was beating the shit out of Tucker on a particularly irritating day for the jock, she had skipped a parent-teacher conference with the principal, ignored her parents telling her she was in a world of trouble and pulled the fire alarm. She was slick enough that nobody saw her do it and lucky enough when the school cameras were under maintenance that day, and fast enough that Tucker walked away with only a fractured wrist and a black eye with various other scattered bruises. It could have been much worse at the rate Dash was going, Tucker had been more scared of Dash during that than he ever had been.

Dash had paid the hospital bill and bought Tucker lunch the next day. Tucker remembered how bizarre it had been to be at his locker just before lunchtime and Dash walked right up to him and apologized for being so rough. He had handed Tucker a bag full of food, and a dessert, from Nasty Burger and a wad of cash. Though it didn't excuse his actions, it was definitely appreciated by the tech nerd who had a lower than average income at home.

He also remembered another time when Danny's parents were fighting about something meaningless for the millionth time and they didn't notice that Danny had come home with a black eye. The depressed and neglected child had called her for some company, but she was grounded for skipping class to help patch up Danny's the injuries Dash left and was under house arrest. She had climbed out of her bedroom window from three stories up, nearly broke her ankle, almost got caught sneaking out, all just to take Danny to a movie.

Tucker had been there too, and they had all went to his house when the movie was over, Sam's parents never noticed she was gone, and neither did Danny's.

"I'll stop jumping to conclusions when I find out why Danny isn't talking to us." Sam was nearly growling out as she opened the door and walked out.

Tucker followed her, but when they got to Danny's house, it took them banging on the door and ringing the bell repeatedly for 5 minutes until they realized no one was home.

That was strange, Danny really should have been back by then, and his parents were nearly _always_ home.

They looked at each other, wondering if they should come back later, but they needed to know that Danny at least came home from the fishing trip, and the need outweighed their common courtesy.

They grabbed the extra key from under the mat and unlocked the door.

The house was quiet, it was more than obvious that nobody was home.

They figured they would check out Danny's room, the kid spent most of his time there and they knew exactly how Danny left it before the trip, they would know if Danny had been there since then.

There was no sign of him though. The empty soda cans and the various candy wrappers were still thrown around carelessly by his desk, and his clothes hadn't moved from their spot on the floor by his bed. There was no indication that Danny had been in his room at all for the last few days.

They looked at each again, now more than a little worried. They didn't see his phone anywhere either, which meant that he had to have taken it with him. Tucker started thinking about all the different ways he could track Danny before Sam tapped his shoulder.

She was looking into Jazz's open bedroom, but it took Tucker a few seconds to realize why this was sketchy.

"Wait, isn't Jazz supposed to be in college?" He said when he caught sight of the suitcase full of Jazz's stuff. "Why would she come all the way home in the middle of the semester?"

"Tucker, somethings wrong. I feel it in my gut."

"Me too."

Just then, the front door opened and voices could be heard filling the house.

"I'm just not sure about it Dad, I haven't seen even one mermaid in that cove." Tucker and Sam headed for the stairway when they heard Jazz's voice.

"Jazmine I know what I saw, there were dozens of them. They must be hiding somewhere. If only the Fenton diving suites were ready." Jack's deep voice penetrated the kid's ears.

"Can't you just buy regular diving suites?"

"Of course not, Jazz." Maddie said with her hands on her hips, "if there are mermaids there, then we can't go without the weapons on the Fenton diving gear, we would be dead in minutes."

"Um, hello," Sam said from the top of the staircase with Tucker, they waved when the Fenton's finally noticed them. They became even more nervous when they heard the conversation topic and the fact that Danny wasn't with them. "Anyone know where Danny is?"

Jazz gasped, "Mom and dad didn't tell you?"

"Sam, Tucker?" Maddie started, "How did you two get in the house?"

"Nevermind that, what didn't they tell us, Jazz?" Sam ran down the stairs, skipping a few steps. Tucker ran close behind her.

"Danny's missing," she said, "Dad is positive that mermaids kidnapped him on their fishing trip. We've been searching for him for days now."

Sam and Tucker gasped, mermaids didn't exist, so what was really going on? Where was Danny really?

"We will help," Tucker said bravely, only to be quickly refused by Maddie.

"Tucker, Sam, you do not need to. We are on a very dangerous mission that could possibly lead to getting eaten alive by merpeople. Kids like you aren't needed." Sam's fists clenched and Tucker looked outraged. They wanted to strangle the woman for being so idiotic, Danny was _not_ kidnapped by merpeople. They don't exist! They were mythical creatures in storybooks and movies! They weren't _real_. Danny could be out there stranded with no food and dying of dehydration and his parents were searching for _freaking_ _mermaids_!

"Let us help!" Sam pleaded, "Tucker is the best Hackers in North America, he can track Danny's phone in his sleep."

"We already tried that Sam," Maddie crossed her arms, "Danny's phone has to be dead or destroyed because we can't find it anywhere."

"That's no problem for me," Tucker spoke up, confident of his skills. "I can find Danny's phone anywhere in the world, even if it was blown to bits."

"Mom," Jazz said, standing by Sam and Tucker, "Tucker's right, I've seen him hack even the most secure security systems, he can find Danny's phone."

Maddie sighed, "as pleasant as the offered help sounds Jazmine, I can't endanger the lives of two other kids. It's bad enough your coming with us."

"Then at least let us communicate with you from your lab." Sam tried to compromise, "Tucker would have access to your communication system and could send you coordinates directly to your navigator."

"How do you know what's in our lab?" Maddie and Jack had always been careful not to let the kids have access to their lab, there were too many hazards that could possibly send them to the hospital if something went wrong.

"Hello! We're best friends with your son," she ignored the temptation to rub their neglect in Maddie's face, "Who, by the way, listens to you blather on about your new weapons every day of his life. You pretty much tell him everything that goes on in there." She had always liked the Fenton's better than her own parents, but she would never forgive them for all the pain that Danny went through in the last few years as they forgot all about him in favor of their research. "Telling Danny all that is just like telling us. We know everything there is to know about Danny."

She looked between the two kids, wanting the help that Tucker says he's capable of giving, but conflicted about allowing them access to such advanced and dangerous equipment.

She sighed, her own son's life would always come first.

"Fine, but on one condition." She held up her finger as if Tucker and Sam needed a visual of the number 1. "You let me teach you the software, and when I say don't touch, I want you to assume that I mean, 'touch and get blown up.'"

"Yes, ma'am." They both said, grateful they would at least be allowed to help in some way. It wasn't the same as physically going and searching for Danny, but it was better than sitting on the sidelines while his parent hunted on a wild goose chase with Danny's life on the line.

...

Tucker and Sam were in the Fenton's basement, sticky notes were put anywhere where Mrs. Fenton didn't want them to touch. Tucker sat in front of a monitor with a pair of Fenton phones in his ears and Sam was looking over his shoulder at what he was doing.

"I'm hacking into Danny's memory chip right now Mrs. Fenton." He was saying as he typed away on the keyboard. Sam stared at the monitor that was black with a bunch of green codes scattered across it. She was amazed at Tucker's determination, she had no idea what he was doing and yet he looked like he knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

Tucker knew that Danny's phone was killed due to water damage, also knew that it was pretty deep down in the cove.

"Sending you the coordinates to its location." He turned on another monitor and pushed some buttons, looking at Sam with a finger over his lips. She knew that meant he was doing something Maddie Fenton didn't want him to do and she needed to be quiet.

The monitor turned on and they got a visual of the underwater cove the Fenton's were searching through. Sam's eyes widened, she didn't know that he would be able to do that so easily. She watched as Tucker turned on another monitor, ignoring the sticky note there, and pushed a few buttons. A radar came into sight on the scream a minute later.

Tucker peeled off the sticky note.

" _Don't touch this angels, forgot to teach you how to work it and I don't want it to get damaged ;)"_

Tucker smiled and Sam laughed.

"I got the coordinates, Tucker," he heard Jazz say over the phones, "inputting them into the navigator."

"Uh. Tucker?" Sam said as she stared at the radar where a number of glowing white dots could be seen "What does the radar pick up?"

Tucker stopped typing and looked over, staring at the radar in confusion as he covered the receiver on the Fenton phone. "I don't know," he looked at visual they had on what the Fenton's were seeing outside the submarine window.

"Probably fish," Tucker concluded, "or sonic waves being released from other techs that got lost at sea, maybe. I wouldn't worry about it."

Sam shrugged and grabbed a chair, sitting to watch the visual monitor.

It didn't take long for Danny's parents to find the phone, but when Tucker caught sight of it he remembered something very important. As if the sight of the phone triggered him to have the world's most helpful epiphany.

"Oh my God!" Tucker said.

"What?!" His sudden outburst shocked Sam enough that she almost fell out of her chair. The Fenton's all asked him what was wrong, not expecting the techno-geek to yell so suddenly.

"I just remembered, I can hack into his camera and get the last footage that was recorded."

"What?" Jazz said skeptically, "what if Danny wasn't recording anything when he disappeared?"

"It doesn't matter, the camera is still active even when it's off, that's how hackers all over the world are able to stalk people through their computers. I can do it." He said as he jumped right back on Danny's database and started typing away on it. It would be a hard and time-consuming process since Danny's phone hadn't been recording, and the footage would probably be scattered and would probably have multiple timestamps, but Tucker was on a mission and he would not rest until they found what happened to Danny.

"It's going to take me a while, but I'll keep working on it."

"Tucker, sweetie, remind me later to buy you everything in Best Buy." Maddie Fenton said as she worked a remote control magnet to pick up the phone and bring it into the sub. They still hadn't seen any mermaids, and this phone was the first sign that Danny was ever there that they have been able to find, and it was all thanks to Tucker.

The cell phone was completely crashed from water damage and cracked in a few places, but maybe with the actual _physical_ cellphone in his hands, Tucker would be able to get more off it.

...

Danny hissed as Phantom took another small bite off his shoulder, he was sure blood was misting up in front of him but he was glad, for his stomach sake, that he couldn't see it.

Danny couldn't tell the difference between day and night down in this cave, but Phantom knew that he had kept the kid for ten days now

The 15-year-old silenced himself as best he could and shut his eyes, not willing to allow the merman to see any more pain in his face then Danny could help.

Phantom smirked as he ripped off yet another chunk from the side of the human's stomach, avoiding the arteries. The thoughts running through the kids mind amusing him to no end.

 _That's cute_ , Phantom thought, _he thinks he can hide his pain from me_.

Though the kid didn't seem to fear him like he did when they first met, the human was still obviously so afraid for his life.

Phantom worked his way down, taking bite after bite and tasting as the flavor and texture changed as he got farther down the kid's body. Truth is, he was full after the 5th bite, but he loved causing the kid pain. So he took another, and another, and another until he got to the inside of his thighs.

They seemed to be the most sensitive, because not only did they twitch and jerk as Phantom's talons and teeth dug into the flesh, but Danny couldn't hold back the scream he let out. Phantom's eyes glowed in exhilaration, chewing the tender flesh he tore off between his teeth.

It was then he noticed he was at eye level with that funny looking appendage that human males had. In his life, Phantom had seen many men use that on girls. It seemed to bring them great amounts of joy, that is until Phantom dragged them down and ate them. The humans always seemed to die from shock and pain only seconds after Phantom bit the thing off. He wondered what was so great about it, why did human males care about the small thing so much?

He wondered how Danny would react if he pretended like he was going to bite it off, the kid was already strung and ready to break from pain from all the bites phantom already left.

He stuck the whole thing in his mouth and immediately Danny was screaming at him not to eat that, the sudden warmth there shocking him. Phantom smirked at Danny's wide and fearful eyes as he stared into Phantom's amused green ones.

Feeling playful and sadistic, Phantom put the smallest amount of pressure on the soft appendage and watched as Danny bent down closer to him, shaking his head and begging him not to bite. Danny knew not only would it be more pain then he could handle, but he might actually die from how bad it would hurt, let alone the shock he would suffer through.

Danny begged, no regard for his dignity, there was no time to be a witty bastard, he knew Phantom would not hesitate.

Phantom smirked again, retracting his teeth and slowly released it from his mouth.

A pleasant shiver ran down Danny's spine and his eyes shut, unsure why his body betrayed him but trying hard not to think about how good that felt. He hated this creature with every fiber of his being for treating him like an animal and constantly teasing all the while threatening him. He was despicable and had to be the spawn of Satan.

"Well, I suppose you can call him Satan, my kind prefer him to be called Hades though." Phantom licked at the blood seeping out from the small flesh wounds he left across Danny's body.

So, Hades was real, too? Out of all the religions, out of all the cultures, Greek _mythology_ was what was real? First Merpeople, now Hades? What was next, the Krakken? Davy Jones's ghost?

"Don't be silly, pet. Ghosts don't exist, and my kind killed the Krakken years ago." Phantom smiled sweetly at him in the most malicious way possible and cupped the human's cheek in his hand.

Danny moved his face away from Phantom's treacherously gentle hands and glared at him with his bright blue eyes. He'd had enough of Phantom's teasing, but he couldn't help but be a little curious about merpeople.

"Aww come on, precious." Phantom swam around behind Danny and rested his chin on the kid's shoulder, "I know you're curious. I can hear it in the little brain of yours." He licked the shell of Danny's ear just to get a reaction, and Danny didn't disappoint. Goosebumps picked up along Danny's neck and he growled, head butting the creature behind him.

Phantom shut his eyes in pain and rubbed his forehead, the kid had a strong skull, he would give him that.

The bump healed almost immediately and Phantom smirked, Danny never failed to amuse him.


	8. Virtually Proven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

It's been two weeks since Danny's gone missing. In those weeks, things have been not only bleak but hard to get through. Danny's absence took its toll on everyone, not just the Fenton family and Danny's friends. Everyone at school, even the people who often bullied the kid were at a loss of what to do about the disappearance of someone almost _everyone_ knew on a personal level. They, of course, didn't know the full story, only what Mr. Lancer had told him in his brief but respectful speech about the reported disappearance of 'such a bright child.' 

Word had gotten around quickly throughout the school, there wasn't a student in Casper High that wasn't aware of the school geeks sudden absents. Due to not being given any more information other than the fact that Danny went missing, and is _still_ missing two weeks later, everyone started to draw their own conclusion. Some of them thought he was dead, others insisted that he was kidnapped by human traffickers, a few people were suspicious that Danny's nutty parents had something to do with the crime.

The top high school bullies like Dash, Quan, and Paulina often tried to harass Sam and Tucker by their lockers in a desperate attempt to get more gossip fuel off the two about Danny being gone, but neither of Danny's friends satisfied their curiosity with any more than an insistent, "We don't know where he is." Though that didn't stop them from cornering them for information. After all, Tucker and Sam were Danny's best friends, if anyone knew what had happened to the boy, it was them.

The school offered the two teens counseling whenever they felt like talking about their childhood best friends predicament, and though the teens appreciated the offered help, neither of them had the balls to go in the office and risk blurting private information.

They often stayed over at the Fenton works, ignoring their parent's protests and lectures on how it would be detrimental to their already unstable mental health to sleep in the room of their kidnapped friend, who they keep throwing in the young one's faces, that may _never_ come back. Tucker and Sam always got defensive when their parents even implied that Danny may never be found, and would often storm out of the house in a fit of rebellious rage, which leads to them both spending more nights at either each other or Danny house.

Maddie and Jack didn't spend much time together, but they did their best to hide their problems from their daughter. The only interaction that they had was when they were actively searching for Danny, they didn't even sleep in the same room together. Jack Fenton did everything he could to both keep from having to sleep in their shared bedroom and keep from rising suspicion from their very smart and observant daughter. He made excuses daily to spend the night in the lab working on equipment to help the search for Danny, coming up with something to work on in nights that Jazz didn't go to bed first.

Maddie sometimes left the house at night and went somewhere, she didn't tell Jazz where she was going and wouldn't come home until very early in the morning. Though, it didn't take a genius for Jazz to smell the alcohol and put the pieces together on where she was going. She knew that Danny's absence was stressing her mom out, but she wished she would turn to the comfort of her family instead of the false comfort security brought.

Jazz would spend her time doing homework when she wasn't helping her parents look for Danny under the sea. She was lucky enough to have been able to transfer her classes to online courses, such a thing was almost impossible to do in the middle of the semester, but when she sent in the police reports on her brother's absence, the school took pity on her. However, she couldn't change the fact that eventually, she would have to fly back to her campus and complete the mandatory exams and labs. Those were coming up in a few weeks and she was just hoping they at least got some sort of lead to where Danny might have gone before then.

She was still skeptical about her Fathers claims about encountering a school of merpeople. In the two weeks, they had been searching what was supposed to be myth infested water, she hadn't seen so much as a _fish scale_ out of place. She wondered if they were on a wild goose chase, that maybe her idiot father had hallucinated the whole thing because of how much he _wanted_ mermaids to exist. It hurt to think about the alternatives though, and maybe she was a little insane for even allowing herself to believe there was even the smallest chance her brother was somehow alive. Honestly though, if she was right that her father was hallucinating, then none of them knew exactly what had happened, so there was always the chance that maybe Danny got stranded on some island they haven't found yet. Or maybe some other fisherman had picked the stranded boy up and he hasn't been able to make it home somehow. 

She would sooner believe the kid got amnesia and was crawling around some hospital somewhere than believe he was kidnapped by _mermaids_. However, if that were the case, then they would have been notified by then after posting numerous amber alerts and missing child posters.

Jazz yawned as she got out of bed, a nightmare had woken her up yet she couldn't remember exactly what it had been about. She distantly remembered some bright green eyes and some muffled screams, but it was like her foggy half conscious brain was forcing the images away from the front of her mind. She stretched her arms and looked for her slippers, she pulled them out from under the bed with her toes and slipped them on.  

It was quiet downstairs, and a brief glance at her watch told her it was much too early for teenagers and stressed out parents to be awake right now. She went to check her mom's room and was not surprised to see that the sleeping woman was the only one occupying the room. She was spread belly down across the bed as if she had walked in and immediately collapsed onto it, the clothes she was wearing all day yesterday still clung to her out cold body.

Jazz sighed, not only was her father neglecting his wife, who was in desperate need for his attention but now her mother also would now be hungover. She shut the door quietly so not to disturb the exhausted 39-year-old woman and headed over to Danny's room to check on his friends. Sam was the only one sleeping there, looking dead to the world in Danny's bed and unlikely to wake up for a while. The redhead shut the door quietly and wondered where Tucker was, she was sure that he hadn't gone home the night before.

The lab door was unlocked, which wasn't odd anymore now that Sam and Tucker were given access to it on the hunt for Danny. Jazz walked down the steps, expecting to see her father down there working on the Fenton Diving Suits again, but she frowned in concern at the sight of her Dad, who looked just as exhausted as everyone else in the house, sitting by the suits resting his head on the desk next to him. Tucker was a few feet away from Jack in a similar position with his head resting against the desktop, his back hunched in an uncomfortable arch and his neck in an awkward position.

She looked up at the monitor that was still on in front of Tucker, unsure what she was looking at with all the codes and blinking static. 

Jazz went to her Dad and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Dad?" the tired man snapped up as if he had been electrocuted, a screwdriver dropped from his hand.

"Huh? What's going on," his eyes met Jazz's and her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of deep bags under his tired teal eyes. "Jazz, you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine Dad," she insisted, "You, however, look like you need to sleep on a nice comfy bed with your loving wife, who by the way is begging for your attention in the most unhealthy way." she was referring to Maddie's sudden alcohol abuse and Jack knew it. Though he didn't care much to try and comfort his wife, he knew Jazz expected him to respond, so he got up and told his daughter that he couldn't sleep anymore and would make everyone flapjacks.

"Dad, she needs aspirin and water," Jazz called after her dad as he went up the stairs, "And lots of caring support!" Jazz completely forgot about the other sleeping occupant in the room, and with her yelling, Tucker shot up in surprise.

"Woah, I'm awake mom," he stuttered out, at first unaware of where he was. Then he caught sight of the computer in front of him, and Jazz could practically see the bright flashing lights around Tuckers overjoyed but tired eyes. "It's recovered!"

Jazz gasped, knowing that he was talking about the footage that he'd been picking through Danny's phone to find, the near-impossible task had taken a week and a half for the techno genius. "You got it?" she asked to confirm.

"Yup, now all I need is to push a few buttons and..." Tucker typed away like the beautiful helpful genius that he was as Jazz ran up the stairs to wake everyone up. "Boo yeah." Tucker smiled in triumph when a video appeared on his screen. What he had done was highly advanced and probably illegal, but it was worth it to have the footage in front of them now. 

A stampede of multiple heavy footsteps could be heard rushing down the stairs to the Fenton lab and Tucker could feel the multiple pairs of eyes that looked at the screen from over his shoulder.

Maddie Fenton kissed the side of his face multiple times, muttering something along the lines of "I'll never doubt you again," and Tucker pushed a few more buttons to play the footage with the time stamp that matched with Danny's disappearance. Sam grabbed a chair and sat next to him.

The video quality was almost perfect, if not for a few bugs in the sound, but the family could definitely see clearly the ceiling of the hotel that Jack and Danny stayed at the morning before they went fishing. Tucker skipped the hours that the phone was left on the charger while Danny slept, and his father snored. After a few more skips, they could see a half-asleep Danny as he picked up his phone. They watched as he stuffed it in his pants, with the camera facing outward, but Tucker skipped ahead some more until they were at the dock talking to the redhead fisherman. All they could see was what the phone was recording behind Danny, which was a wide expanse of ocean and a familiar far away cove.

Tucker skipped some more until he landed on when Danny and his father were in the boat, Jack was teaching Danny how to use the pole, and all the family could see was what had been behind Danny's butt at the time. When the snoring hit and Jack told them that he did not remember what happened after that, Tucker stopped skipping, not wanting to miss anything.

It took a long impatient while, but later rather than sooner, Danny started shifting around. They could see Jack's lower half from the cell phones position and could hear the friction of Danny's pants against the speaker as the phone was angled at the sky for a few moments. The only sounds they could hear as Jacks butt cam back into view and Danny seemed to lean back and rest, was the distant sound of seagulls and the splash of water against the sound of the boat.

But everyone jumped when Danny's voice was suddenly heard.

"Woah!" Danny's staticky but clear voice shouted out, they could hear the hissing of the pole line as it was sealed in.

"Wait a minute." Jack interrupted Danny's struggling fishing skills, "His line was cut and he told me he hadn't caught anything." Jack looked slightly outraged that his son would lie to him, he wanted to know why Danny had felt the need to lie about something as small as catching a fish especially if that fish was a mermaid.

"Just watch Jack," a lying teenager was the least of Maddie's worries.

Danny had to be standing up now, the camera had a much larger view of what was going on behind Danny as he struggled to real whatever he caught in. They couldn't see anything that Danny was doing but the amount of shaking the boat was doing and the amount of grunting and shuffling that could be heard only made their confusion and anxiety grow.

Jack watched on and cursed his digital self for sleeping through all that action, he knew that he should be waking up any minute now, remembering that he had woken up from a small nap.

Danny gasped and the people in the lab could hear a splash and then a lot of hissing as Danny seemed to freeze up for a bit. The family and friends stared on with their teeth clenched and their eyes glued to the screen as they waited for any indication of what Danny had caught. The hissing wasn't normal for any kind of fish so Tucker, Sam, and Jazz all wondered what Danny could possibly have caught. While Maddie and Jack looked at each other like they knew exactly what Danny was looking at.

The sound of hissing didn't stop even as Danny's arm could be seen reaching around to grab his pocket knife.

"Would you chill out?" Danny's voice hissed out, sounding nowhere near as threatening as the actual hissing did, "I'm trying to free you, damn it."

' _What was he trying to free and why was he trying to free it_ ,' occupied all the thoughts rushing through their minds as they watched Jack's digital body stir.

'This is it,' Jack thought, 'This must be where I wake up.'

They watched Danny as he suddenly sat down and started whistling just as a loud splash could be heard and Jack woke up.

They couldn't see Jack from Danny's position anymore, but they could hear him as he turned towards his son, "Hey, Danny, catch anything yet?"

The boy's lie seemed so unconvincing now as Jack heard it for the second time, and he shamed himself for throwing the suspicious behavior off his ignorant mind so easily. "Nope! Nothing at all, I haven't caught anything. Been sitting here bored, nope, nothing at all."

Sam and Tucker rolled their eyes, Danny had never been a good liar. For the millionth time in the last few years, they cursed Danny's father for being so unobservant to Danny's behavior.

"Well no wonder you haven't caught anything, your line is cut. Here, take mine." Maddie chose not to point out to Jack the obvious sign's that Danny was keeping something from the virtual Jack, instead, continuing to search for any clue to what was going on.

"Um, actually Dad, I think we should get back," _oh if only they had_ , "Remember what the redhead said about the tide?-"

"Danny." virtual Jack interrupted as the people in the lab started to hear a strange humming sound. 

Danny could be heard whimpering over the sound of the sirens calling, and his friends and sister gasped at both the sound of the hypnotic singing and the sight of woman peaking their heads above the surface of the water behind Danny. They all had brightly colored hair and glowing eyes as they stared at the occupants on the boat.

There was not a doubt in Sam and Jazz's mind anymore. "Oh my gosh, Tucker can you believe?-" she looked at the male as he stared at the screen with his mouth hanging open. Maddie's eyes furrowed in confusion as she watched Jazz wave a hand over the Africans blank face only to receive no response. The woman looked up at her husband in fear and realization when he had a similar expression. "Jazz, get the Fenton phones, quick, they filter out hypnotic sound waves."

Jazz, still in shock from the existence of merpeople dove for the Fenton phones and helped the other girls as they plugged them into the two males ears. They seemed to snap out of their trances a second after they were in, and the woman sighed in relief that they worked.

"Do you hear them, son?" Jacks voice could be heard as the camera caught a brief glimpse of him getting up, and though they could all see that Jack had made it out alive even after getting hypnotized, they watched anxiously as he stepped towards the edge of the boat. "It's so beautiful."

"I think I'm in love." they could all see as the merpeople started advancing on them, and their concern started to grow, is this were Danny disappeared? While his father was under the influence of their demonic singing?

Apparently not as the camera went out of focus as Danny sprang into action, obviously the singing wasn't affecting him and they could only assume it was because he was gay. They caught a glimpse of a closed toolbox only for the view of it to turn pixely as the camera shifted at a fast pace when it focused again the box was opened next to Jack's comatose body, and Jack could see that a gun was missing.

"Attaboy, Son," Jack encouraged as he watched, proud that his boy didn't freeze up in his panic and allow them to die. Most of the motion that the camera picked up was pixeled and out of focus, the only caught glimpses of the mermaids at the attacked the boat. They all watched as Danny put up a good fight and was able to throw his father onto a rock, the images becoming distorted and staticky as the phone started to take on water damage. They saw a mermaid try to drag the boat out from under Danny's feet from behind, and they all panicked when the phone went under water for a couple seconds. 

The last thing they saw before the video cut off as it died, was the sight of a mermaid grabbing Danny's ankle, its eyes burning a demonic bright red as it ripped his clothing and tried to drag him back into the water. They heard Danny howl in pain before he shot his blaster at the creature a second later.

That was it? That was the end of the video? Tucker angrily exited out and started digging deeper for anything else that could be useful on Danny's phone. There had to be more, there had to be something else to clue them in on what happened to Danny. Jacks story became all the more believable as they all swallowed the fact that mermaids did exist, and Danny could very possibly be fish food.

 _He had to be alive_ , Sam thought, she wouldn't be satisfied with his death until they found a body. He was _alive_ the last time they saw him, _alive_ when the video cut off, _alive_ when Jack watched him get dragged under. There was no way that their best friend that they knew since _before_ _elementary_ , was dead.

Jazz started crying and Maddie grabbed around her shoulders, the truth of what happened to Danny had never been such a smack in her face.

He had to be alive.


	9. Troubled Intentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

An old man in his late forties stared at the multiple monitors in his private study, petting his kitty as she purred softly on his lap.

He was not happy, nor was he getting off as much as he used to as he watched the multiple recorded videos in the Fenton household. His favorite actor has been missing for a number of weeks now and it was starting to get on his nerves. He hasn't upgraded the software to be able to hear what was going on, so none of the videos had any sound. Vlad only cared about what he could see so he saw no real need in replacing the camera's, he did, however, like to edit in soft music in some of the videos to make them a little more romantic.

Vlad frowned as he rewound the few short videos. One screen was of Daniel Fenton doing his homework at his desk, another was of him taking a nap in his bed. Vlad favored the one where he was in the shower facing away from the peeping camera. The soap washing out of his silky black hair and running down between his flexing and unflexing shoulder blades was more erotic then any porn he'd ever seen. But these were all video's that he has seen before, and they didn't offer the same thrill as seeing Daniel in live action. He supposed watching Maddie shower and sleep in the very bed he screwed her in was somewhat enjoyable, her short and deep red hair was comforting and framed her face perfectly, plus her body looked like it belonged to a goddess and was arousing to any man with eyes.

But Vlad needed _Daniel_. He hasn't screwed Daniel yet, so it was like the boy was forbidden fruit he hadn't taken a bite out of yet, he was a tasty treat that was swinging in front of his eyes and he needed a taste. He focused on Daniel's face as he stressed over his homework desk, he was alone in his room and trying very hard to concentrate on his math. His light blue eyes stared down at the equation with disinterest and a severe lack of motivation, and Vlad crept over every detail on the kid's face. How in the hell did a 15-year-old boy manage such perfect features? What devil did he strike a deal with to get such flawless and perfect skin? The black hair on near paper white skin was sinful and the slim but boyish frame was demonic in the hottest way possible.

Jazz was... She's beautiful, but out of his type. He only liked girls that were fully developed, and her body is not nearly as shapely and voluminous as a fully grown woman with two kids was. He also didn't like how moody and hormonal teenage girls were, teenage boys and grown woman tend to be a lot less winey and held a lot more self-confidence, and that's what Vlad found attractive.

These videos were all taken weeks ago, and Vlad hated that he had to resort to watching reruns. Where was Daniel? Didn't he have school?

Vlad mulled over what he had been seeing for the past five weeks, he figured that Maddie and Jack weren't sleeping together because of what happened those weeks ago. They didn't spend a lot of time in the house outside of night time, which was strange because prior to before that specific weekend, they were almost always home. Jazmine came home from Florida in the middle of the semester and has stayed there for almost the full five weeks now, which was strange because if he knew Jazz like he knew he did, then she would priorities school over _everything_ but family. The amount of strange behavior was suspicious.

 _Maybe I should call them_ , he thought as he clicked his mouse a few times to get the live feed on the Fenton house. Jazmine was conveniently sitting in the living room on her computer, Maddie wasn't in the house and the idiot was in the basement again working on who the hell knows what.

Vlad lifted up his phone and dialed the only number beside his own that he knew by heart and waited as it rang. He watched the screen carefully as Jazmine jumped in surprise when the phone next to her started ringing before she wiped her face and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Jazmine, Hello." He used his fake happy voice that he knew nobody in the family could see through, except for maybe Daniel, the kid was much smarter and spotted fakes very easily. The kid was truly on to him about his true intentions, but the poor thing was always underestimated by the people around him who thought he was a dimwit when he really wasn't.

Truly a convenient and amusing feature of the boy's character.

"Oh, hey Uncle Vlad. I'm sorry, my parents are busy." her voice sounded more than tired. Sad stressed, and exhausted was a more accurate description of the 17-year-olds tone.

"Ah, no my dear girl, I'm just glad someone has finally answered the phone. I've been calling for weeks just to chat with your parents like I normally do once or twice a week, but nobody has been picking up." He lied, "I've gotten worried, to be honest."

"Oh yeah," her voice broke a little and he could see on his screen that she was covering her eyes with her free hand as if she was trying to hold back a load of tears.

 _Ah, there's those hormones that I hate_ , Vlad thought before he faked concern, "Jazmine? is everything okay?"

Jazz had known Vlad her entire life, he felt like a real uncle to her and not just a close family friend. He was there for every birthday, every Christmas, every Fourth of July, he was even there when she and her brother were born. Surely her Mom and Dad wouldn't mind that she told him about their current situation right?

"No, Uncle Vlad. Danny's missing." She confirmed what Vlad had been theorizing, "You have to believe me, Vlad, I've seen them, he was kidnapped by... they took him." He could hardly understand what she was saying now as she was full blown crying into the phone receiver, completely diluted under the impression that he cared that she was sobbing.

His brows rose in interest though, the idea that _his_ piece of candy that he has been saving for the perfect moment was missing, supposedly stolen by someone, was infuriating. "What do you mean Jazmine, who took him?" he would hunt them down, pay the most capable hunter/tracker, or assassin, and pay for the biggest search party known to man to get Daniel back.

There was a pause on the other end, and Vlad swallowed his impatience and waited, he needed to keep up the appearance that Daniels absence was new information to him. He needed to make sure that Jazz felt like he cared about them as if they were his own, and he couldn't do that if he showed her how little he felt in regards to compassion for how difficult this must be for her.

"Mermaids, they're in the cove by the beach on Amity cost. We've been searching for him every day for weeks now, with no luck." she finally pushed out. Vlad could practically hear the number of tears that fell from this girls face, and he didn't need to be watching her through the video feed to know that she was the most upset that he had ever seen her. "Please, I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to believe me, I saw them with my own eyes," she started pushing out more forcefully, obviously unaware that Vlad believed her.

"Hush now, dear girl, I believe you." he pulled up his note pad from the pocket on the inside of his jacket and flipped through the pages. "I'll help you find him. Don't forget I went to college with your parents and I believe in the existence of the mermaids just as they do."

She sniffled as he found the number he was looking for, "Really?"

"Of course, Jazmine, the only difference is I have dollars by the million and the equipment to properly search and rescue Daniel from a cove full of mermaids. Why did none of you call before?" he pretended like he didn't know the answer to that question. He was under the impression that Jazmine did not know about her mother's affair yet, convenient for him as he will now be _invited_ to the household instead of having to just show up randomly to figure out what happened to Daniel. "I also have a personal team of professionals that are equipped to handle these situations. They have all the gear and training that they need to go snorkeling through mermaid infested water."

It was a sobering fact that Daniel was most likely dead if it was true that he was kidnapped by mermaids during the fishing trip he and his father went on, he couldn't believe that he wasted all that time enjoying the boy from a _distance_ and now he was dead. However, if he was right, and Daniel's parents were probably going to get a divorce, then if he tries to help them pointlessly search for their son, he would completely win Maddie's heart and she would come live with him after they separate. May as well keep her since he no longer had the baffoon's friendship and his son was now gone, there would be no reason to ever see them again if he had Maddie's affection.

He could see how excited Jazz got after what he said, "Really? You have a team? And equipment that isn't faulty?" she asked as if he hadn't literally _just_ said that.

"Of course, and I will be on your doorstep by morning, because as soon as we hang up, I'm going to call all of my people, and then I'm going to jump on my private jet to Amity." he hinted how much he wanted to get off the phone with Jazz.

She sniffled again, _honestly_ , wasn't this girl old enough to control her tears? Vlad rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Uncle Vlad. We've always been able to count on you."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you soon okay?" he could see her nod on the video, but he didn't wait for a verbal response before he hung up and dialed the number on his notepad.

"This is The Guys in White, what the hell do you want?" the disrespectful tone didn't at all bother Vlad, because he had the money to make peoples lives hell if he wanted. All it took was one threat and people cowered at his feet, clearly, Agent W had no idea who he was talking to.

"Hello, Agent W. This is Mr. Master's. You know, the guy that funds all your research, training, and equipment?" he smirked as the man stuttered on the phone.

"Oh, uh, please excuse me Mr. Master's, what can I do for you?"

...

They had kept their relationship problems a complete secret. They hadn't told Jazmine about their impending separation, or about the divorce, or anything to clue into the affair. They had kept her completely in the dark about the fact that her favorite uncle had slept with her mom behind her fathers back. They still felt like they should keep all these things a secret for the time being until they found out what happened to Danny after he was kidnaped by those mermaids. They would do anything to protect what was left of her emotional stability.

Which was how Vlad ended up back in their living room one morning.

Jazz had answered the door, she had been expecting him. However her father had still been in the basement and her mother was probably in bed hungover again, so neither of them even had the opportunity to have a private conversation with the older man before Jazz allowed him into the house.

Jazz hadn't even bothered to tell either of her parents that he was in their house, which was why Jack jumped on his way up from the basement and almost dropped his coffee mug when he noticed Vlad sitting on his couch as if nothing had ever gone wrong between them. However, he couldn't say anything at that moment when eye contact was first made due to the fact that his daughter was sitting on the couch next to him.

He wanted to kill his ex-best friend at that moment for having the audacity to not only go behind his back with his wife for all these years but now to also takes advantage of his daughter's ignorance to snake his way back into his house? But as much as he hated him and wanted to skin him alive, he had to protect his daughter's sanity for as long as he could; she was already going through so much with the loss of her brother. He wasn't about to take away the love and respect she has for her godfather and at the same time break her heart with her mother's affair. He knew it would be too much for her to handle all at once and he wanted her to stay just the way she was mentally when all of this was over.

"Vlad." he started, holding back monstrous anger and frustration. "What are you doing here?" It was an honest and legitimate question since he had no recollection of ever giving this guy permission to enter his home after the son of an asshole became the bane of his existence.

"Well, Jazmine and I were talking last night and I learned of your current situation with young Daniel," he said as he stood up and walked towards Jack, not at all afraid of the man's passive aggression. "I'm here to help. I have brought my team and sufficient equipment to do a proper search for any sign of him."

Jack scratched his right ear, attempting to maintain the attitude in his voice for fear of his very smart daughter catching on to any of it. "Good news," was all that Jack was able to say, playing it off as exhaustion by yawning and heading over to the kitchen like he originally planned before he was bombarded with the presence of his worst enemy. His lack of response was only convincing to those who had no idea what was going on, but he didn't care enough to make Vlad feel appreciated. He was glad that Sam and Tucker had to go home for the night the day before, he didn't know if he would be able to handle anymore faces in this house at the moment, sure they would most likely be back after school but at least he would have the morning and part of the afternoon to collect himself and successfully get used to the fact that Vlad would apparently be helping them from now on.

Oh well, all he cared about was finding his Son, and though he and his college friend were having the worst kind of issues, Vlad still had always been there watching Danny grow up, so he had to actually care for Danny enough to look for him. Vlad was Danny's Godfather and he didn't have the heart to refuse Vlad for trying to help in finding the kid that everyone in this house loved unconditionally. Finding his son was his top priority, and just like he could handle being around his thot of a wife in favor of finding his son, he could handle being around his bitch of an ex-best friend. Because logically, Jack knew from his experience working with Vlad in college, that the man had a lot of useful resources, resources that they needed in order to successfully find Danny.

He could handle it. For his precious son and for the sake of his daughter.

He walked into the kitchen, leaving Vlad and his daughter to stare after him as he walked away. Jazz stared at her father in concern, figuring that his salty attitude was just the effects of the lack of sleep and the amount of stress he's been under because of Danny's absence.

Things had been weird between everyone in the house ever since Danny was kidnapped, but she was sure that it was resolvable, it was nothing that they couldn't handle because their family had always worked through their issues with love and patients.

But would that change if they never found Danny? Was Danny the one piece in their lives that kept them all together, the one thing that made the whole family as soft and as compassionate as they were? Without him, they weren't complete. A huge chunk of their hearts would break apart and dissolve into nothing, and they would either be left with an empty space in their hearts left there to fester and rot, or it would be replaced by nothing but pain, regret, and this hatred for themselves because they _didn't try hard enough_ to get him back. Danny was their baby, he was the youngest and the most innocent out of all of them, he had all the choices and hardly any mistakes

Jack opened the fridge and took out a soda, not caring that he had four the day before, Dr. Pepper was the best doctor out there and could solve anything. _Save my life doctor_ , he thought as he uncapped the tab on the top and took a long drink, knowing that he was going to have at least fifty new gray hairs before the day was over. He hoped the good doctor could protect him long enough to keep him from actually loosing half his hair before all of this was over. His worst nightmare, right below his wife cheating on him with his best friend and then losing his son to a cave full of mermaids, was losing his hair and becoming bald before he even hit 60.

The amount of frustration and pent up anger for the vile man in the room next to him could be felt filling him like poison all the way from the tips of his toes up to his throat. His head was in responding to it with images of fire, some gasoline, some duck tape, and a specific turkey looking old man on a very uncomfortable chair.

He could not be having thoughts like that with his daughter in the house, and as much as he hated his wife right now, the only person that he was wishing to set on fire was his college nemesis.

A thump upstairs could be heard, and a second later it registered that Maddie was finally up. _Oh joy, I wonder how we're all going to interact together... in the same house... in the same room... possibly on the same couch._

He took another sip of his soda and grabbed a second one for Vlad just to keep up appearances with as little hostility as possible.

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg guys, I am so sorry this took two weeks to get out, I have been so focused on homework. College finally got complicated with tough assignments. 
> 
> Im sorry if this chapter is boring, but just Imagine the amount of drama in the next chapter as they all work together in one tiny submarine.
> 
> How am I doing with keeping them all in character? Its really hard to make Jack an idiot when the situation is so serious, but it works because in the cartoon Jack is always a serious butt kicker when his family is in trouble. 
> 
> What do you think of Vlad? Am I making him fruit loop enough? Am I over doing it? Does he seem like the same crazy plot twisting Vlad in the cartoon?
> 
> I hope you don't miss seeing Danny and Phantom too much, I really want you to see not only the development of Danny's relationship with Phantom, but also see the character development and drama between Danny's family and friends as well. I really think it makes the whole story more interesting, and I like building what Danny would be walking into if he ever did (and I'm not saying he will) escape from Phantom.
> 
> Drama, action, and gore in the next chapter, hope you are excited. You will finally see just how feral and dangerous mermaids are in this story.
> 
> I love kudos, and your comments are inspirational.


	10. Paradise Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.
> 
> Trigger warnings: blood, gore, screaming, character death, depression, begging for death, angst, self hatred.

Sam and Tucker were watching the monitors with their own headsets on, Maddie Fenton still didn't know that Tucker was using equipment that had sticky notes attached to it, but what she didn't know would hurt no one. He was not going to wash down his expertise just to make Maddie Fenton happy, he was there to find Danny and he would not allow the lack of permission to keep him from putting everything he had into finding his best friend

Currently, Tucker was in the process of turning on all the monitors while typing away on each of the five different keyboards. Allowing the two to be able to see what The Fenton's- plus Vlad- are seeing, and what they are not seeing, while they are in the sub. It was routine now; starting up all the computers and booting the radars every day after school. The Fenton's were always out looking for Danny by the time they got into the house and down to the basement, and this was the first thing that Tucker always did. He had done it so many times now almost every single day that he lost track of how much data he had eaten.

Tucker sat in front of five different monitors and watched resourcefully, careful not to give any indication to Maddie or Jack that he was using the equipment he wasn't permitted to. He was rational with his language, and sure to leave out anything that he can see from the equipment with the sticky notes.

Sam sat with a bowl of steamed rice with bell pepper and spinach stir fry as they watched the monitors together, answering questions anyone in the sub were to ask. She had offered Tucker some, but being the meat consumer that he is, he was passionate about ignoring vegetables.

Vlad's team consisted of 20 very arrogant professionals ranging from ages 30-49, and though neither Sam or Tucker liked Vlad at all and continued to question the man's true intentions and motives, they had to appreciate the help. They now had better equipment, a better submarine, and they now had dozens of people working to find Danny, the two couldn't be more grateful.

Tucker watched the heat signatures of the scuba divers that the radar recognized as humans, they could see how far each of them were from the sub as they swam down to the deeper parts the sub had never been able to look through.

" _Dive successful, operation Daniel Fenton ago_." the leader of the team said into the monitor. Tucker had only briefly met the guy, and he had to be the biggest and dumbest ass in America.

" _Tucker, do you have all 20 divers electrical signature on the monitor?_ " Jazz asked as she adjusted the temperature of each of their suites, protecting them from freezing. The team of 20 men was split up into five smaller teams, so they could cover more ground quicker.

"I see them," Tucker answered, he had been given the task of tracking each of their suites, and if anything were to go wrong he was to hack their electrical circuits and send commands to the suite to evacuate the premises. 

Jazz nodded though she knew, or thought, that Tucker couldn't see it and monitored the diver's heart rates and body temperatures. "Agent M, you're moving too fast," she said into the agent's earpiece when she caught the elevated heart rate, "Your heart rate is spiking up and your temperature is rising. Slow down, partner."

"Copy," the African and bulky male said.

"Does anyone see anything yet?" Maddie asked, hopefully of a lead. They couldn't see any of the divers any more, they had all disappeared behind the rocks and the sub couldn't go any deeper without risking a wreck.

" _Negative_ ," the Fenton's were severely disappointed, however, the search had just started and there was still hope.

"I'm not sure I like a whole team of people being down there without much protection." Maddie started to worry.

"Have no fear Madeline, their suits are state of the art and offer more protection then you could even dream of. I trust those suites to go down there myself, but that's not my job." He assured her so confidently that she actually believed him.

"I'm not picking up any sign of mermaids. Your safe at the moment but proceed with caution." Jack said. 

" _Hold on_ ," everyone heard the change in the atmosphere immediately at the sudden halt. " _my team is approaching a series of caves_." 

Tucker's eyebrows scrunched, not sure if the information was unexpected, it was an underwater cove, after all, thousands of species must have built the caves over time. However, he discretely hacked into team D's camera's and put their visual up on one of the monitors. Sam and Tucker kept their mouth shut but continued to watch as the small team of four men got closer and shined their flashlights down.

" _It looks like a beehive, there are so many entrances. I'm not sure we will be able to explore all of them before the tanks run out of oxygen_."

"Just make sure you mark the ones that you do search, we don't want to waste time," Vlad said to his team member.

"Agent O," Maddie warned the leader of team D, "I am not positive that your signature will remain in the range of the sub if you go farther then 40 meters down."

"Don't worry, it can't possibly be that deep," Vlad assured her, attempting to express a comforting smirk while putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked more irritated in his attempt at comfort than actually comforted.

Jack rolled his eyes, holding back his desire to beat Vlad to a pulp. That was still his wife, and the least Vlad could do was stop pretending like everything was fine between them.

He let it go because that was exactly what they were supposed to be doing, for the kid's sake.

" _My team is going down, preparing for the drop in temperature_." The static voice on the Fenton phone drew Jack's attention back to what was important.

"Roger that," Jazz said as she slowly adjusted the temperature in their suites again.

Tucker continued watching from their suites visual feed, in awe at the number of underwater caves in just one tunnel. _How many mermaids live there_? There were so many caves.

" _It just goes on and on, there are dozens of other cave entrances down here, I don't know where to start_."

Suddenly something started beeping rapidly on one of Tucker's monitors. It had the teen shooting up to look closer at the screen where dozens of red dots could be seen within a ten-foot radius of the divers.

The sheer amount of panic hit Tucker like a wrecking ball, it had him frozen as he stared at how many mermaids there were seemingly out of nowhere.

It may be too late for team D...

"Tucker!" Sam shoved Tucker towards the microphone. The African male snapped out of it and quickly started shouting orders at the people in the sub and the divers.

"Maday," he said in a panic as he started hacking into the diver's suites. "Team D, there are mermaids all around you, you are completely surrounded double back and return to the sub as fast as possible."

 **Access denied**.

Tucker growled at the monitor that refused to give him access to the diver's equipment controls, "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, call back all divers, call back all divers, they are all in danger. The mermaids are coming in all directions, they popped out of nowhere and they are closing in quickly."

Jack and Maddie were shocked into action, not expecting this dramatic turn of events. They should have been more prepared for this.

"Team A. Team B. Team C. Team D. Team E." Jack said into his Fenton phone as he started trying to get a visual of the diver's surroundings, 'why didn't I do this before?' he cursed himself. "Abort mission, return to the sub. I repeat abort the mission."

 **Access denied**.

"Fuck!" Tucker had never been much of a curser, but now with more than a dozen people in danger of getting swarmed and eaten where they swam, he couldn't imagine any sentence coming out of his mouth without a bit of the F-bomb or damning everything to hell.

"Get them out of there Tucker!" Sam shouted as more monitor alarms went off and she watched as more and more red dots got closer to the divers.

"I'm trying!" Tucker could hear screams from the divers in team D, as well as heavy breaths and petrified curses from the other divers in the team, but they were quickly surrounded by the number of bloodthirsty mermaids.

 **Access denied**.

"Tucker? What are you doing?" Jazz asked as she prepared to open the entrance to the sub.

Jack and Maddie could see the chaos from where they sat behind the giant window of the sub. They saw the team frantically trying to swim towards them as the amount of blood in the water increased by the second.

Screams for help and of pain would forever haunt their dreams, but Jack and Maddie didn't give up. There were still people alive in there, and they fired up the weapons to help as best as they could.

Vlad stood there in panic as he watched his entire team of what he thought were experts as they got torn apart by the most beautiful and most deadly creatures on the face of the Earth. He didn't know what to do, they were all supposed to be expert mermaid hunters, yet it was clear to him that all they really knew was how to feed their men to those spawns of hell.

Jack and Maddie were able to shoot a few of the mermaids, and Jazz opened the door for a couple of the divers that were able to make it back, but there were too many of them.

 **Access denied**.

Tucker screamed in frustration as those damning bold red words covered the screen once again. How in the hell could he hack into government agencies but he couldn't hack some simple diver equipment?!

Vlad had had enough, he was done with this shit. He was done just standing there watching people die.

He shoved Jazz out of the way and shut the entrance door to the sub.

The redhead screamed in pain when she was thrown against a wall with protruding screw heads. "What are you doing?" She asked angrily and in shock.

But Vlad wasn't listening and before anyone else could react, he shoved Maddie out of her chair and took control of the sub, putting it in reverse and getting them out of there.

"What the hell are you doing, Vlad?!" Jack shouted at the terrified human. "There are still people alive back there!" He tried to get up and knock Vlad away from the controls, but Vlad made a sharp turn which threw everyone into the side of the sub.

" _No, please don't leave_ _u_ -!" The horrified screams of the people who were left behind were cut off, whether it was because they were now out of range, or if it was because they were suddenly torn into by the mermaids was unknown to everyone. But those last words were going to haunt the Fenton's and Danny's friends forever. They were just left behind to die. They were dead now. Gone forever. Alive one minute and under their care, under their responsibility, and dead the next.

It was enough to make Sam throw up.

Jack kept trying to get to Vlad, but he wouldn't let the burly man within five feet before he forced him into a wall with another sharp turn.

"What the hell are you doing Vlad?!" Tucker yelled losing contact with all of the divers. "That was your team! How could you just leave them there?"

Vlad didn't answer, just got them far enough away from the cove, and in shallow enough water that he felt safe enough to stop the sub.

Everyone in the sub was panting from exertion, panic, and anger.

Jack was the first to reach Vlad, and the 40 something-year-old father lifted the son of a rich coward up by the collar of his shirt and punched him square in the face. He released all the tension and repulsion he had for his ex-college friend and watched in satisfaction as he fell to the floor.

"You son of a bitch! I could kill you!" He lifted him up again and punched another blow across Vlad's eye. "They were still alive! We could have saved them!" Jack nearly beat Vlad's head in with his next punch, "you left them! You sent them down there and you left them!"

"Better them than us!" Vlad's pathetic remark caused Jack to start in on him even harder, beating the shit out his skinny rich ass. He couldn't hold back anymore, he was so angry he didn't know what to do, he only knew instinct told him it was all because of Vlad and the man deserved a very thorough beating.

Tucker had put his face in his crossed arms, resting them on the desk. His body shook and his eyes leaked from the loss of all those people, from the revolting behavior from Vlad, from the tortured screams as they were ripped apart...

Sam was in shock. Her thoughts are so jumbled and chaotic that she couldn't pinpoint exactly how she felt or what she was thinking. The only thing registering other than the way those people died, were the sounds of Jack beating Vlad up, her own heartbeat, and the sobs that were coming out of Tucker. One thought wouldn't escape from her though.

'Is that what Danny went through?'

...

It has been five months.

Five months Phantom had kept Danny, and already he could see the light disappearing from the boy's eyes.

His thoughts were coming less and less and the fire that was once burning bright in his soul was nearly extinguished. Danny almost resembled a shell that was left behind and forgotten, unimportant and living without a purpose.

It was so bad that lately, Phantom was having to force feed him, shoving the food in his mouth and forcing him to chew. In the beginning, Phantom hadn't cared whether the kid ate or not, whether he starved to death or not. Now here he was searching for better tasting food just so the kid would bother eating simply because he missed his old human food.

He remembered when he had found an apple floating around in the water, thrown away from a passing boat by a smaller child who apparently hated fruit. He had snatched it and taken it to Danny as an experiment.

He allowed the boy to have the sun time that he knew he cherished every other day, Phantom even enjoyed the deep calm the kid had when he was under the sun.

And that time he presented the raven with the juicy red apple while the boy sat tranquility under the heated rays of light, Danny had looked shocked as if he forgot that apples ever existed and took it gratefully, mumbling the "Thank you, master" that Phantom had trained him to say.

That was so long ago though. And now no matter what Phantom brought him, the raven wouldn't eat.

The only thoughts that entered the kid's mind were his family. How much he missed them and how he knew he would never see them again. The amount of depression he had was near physical and Phantom could almost feel it himself, and could almost _taste_ it himself when he fed on Danny.

Why did Phantom care though? Why did it bother him so much? Why was it a physical blow to his gut every time he looked into Danny's eyes and saw the vacancy that wasn't there before?

The kid didn't even seem to care about his own life anymore. Besides the lack of eating, Danny didn't even care to drink the water that Phantom would bring him. He had to force him to drink that too, but he would often choke and enter a coughing fit.

Phantom could see that the boy's body was becoming more and more emaciated by the week. Bones were protruding from Danny's skin and Phantom could count his ribs one by one. No longer there was his flush and healthy beauty, no longer there was his drive to survive, no longer there was the passionate emotion that Phantom used to adore.

He's even tried purposely messing with him by licking his ear, or groping his ass just to get some form of reaction from him like there used to be. There was never anything, not even a growl.

It used to make Phantom angry, the lack of reaction was pathetic, and the lack of defiance was boring, insulting even. But now Phantom was less angry and more frustrated. He wanted Danny the way he used to be, that beautiful entertaining ball of energy that he used to be.

He was gone now. Nothing left but the reminder of who Danny was, just a distant memory of what the words Danny Fenton used to mean.

Phantom would have thought he would have enjoyed watching such a strong and passionate creature break at the seams, but all he was met with was a knot in his throat and no satisfaction.

Right now Danny was sitting quietly on the rock with the most tired and sad eyes he had ever seen, emptily staring up at the roof of the cave as the sun's light disappeared behind the horizon.

His parents had given up searching months ago after all those divers were eaten, they must have finally accepted that they would never see Danny again. He knew there was no chance of his parents ever finding him now, and he should be content with the knowledge, but all it did was leave a bitter taste in his mouth that he couldn't understand.

Phantom beckoned Danny to get back in the water, telling him the light had gone away and Phantom was getting tired. He was gentle with his words despite the fact that he grew increasingly frustrated with Danny every time he looked at the raven.

Danny didn't move, and Phantom wondered if he had even spoken out loud. It was unheard of for Danny to blatantly ignore him.

"Danny? I said it's time to go back down." He repeated, an ounce of irritation leaving along with his words.

But any and all malice that Phantom had at that moment was gone briefly and replaced with shock when two small words escaped his human's mouth.

"Kill me."

"What?" Phantom asked to make sure he heard him right.

"Please just fucking kill me."

Phantom shook his head and threw this off as petty whining, "Stop being ridiculous Danny and get in the water, it's time to go down."

Danny shot up from his laid back position and yanked on the jeweled cloth around Phantom neck forcing eye contact. It was the most emotion that Phantom had seen in his eyes in over a month, and though it was refreshing, he couldn't stand how desperate they looked. He told himself he didn't care, he didn't care that Danny was suffering.

"Kill me now! I wanna die, I want you to kill me, now." He bowed his head and Phantom heard the most tortured sob. The worst sound in the world at that moment was the sound of Danny's voice cracking just before he started crying. "Please, just kill me."

Phantom didn't know what to do. He could hear Danny's thoughts loud and clear. He missed his mom, missed his dad, missed his sisters and his friends, his old life before any of this happened. Danny wished more than anything in the world that he had never gone on the fishing trip with his dad, wished that he could go back and come up with any excuse to keep his father from planning the trip.

"It's obvious your never going to let me go, and I don't want to live like this anymore." Danny sobbed, his weak grip still on the decor on Phantom neck and face buried into the rock he perched on. "Please don't make me live like this." He begged.

"Shut up, you pathetic little worm." Phantom finally let a bit of his anger form into words, how could Danny allow himself to stoop to this level?

 _Perhaps the lack of water is killing off brain cells, perhaps he will actually drink some now,_ he thought to produce the water bottle that had been left forgotten on the side of the rock. "Here dumbass, just drink some water and get in here, I'm too tired for your shit."

"Fuck off!" Danny yelled, slapping the open water bottle out of Phantom's hands, it fell with a splash into the sea and was quickly contaminated by the dirty salty water.

"You idiot!" Phantom grabbed Danny by the hair and dragged him into the water, forcing the flailing and resistant limbs into his embrace.

Phantom leaned in to kiss the boy, giving up on trying to treat him well, but Danny moved his face away. Phantom growled impatiently, growing completely enraged with the stupid child's behavior.

He braced his arm around the kid so he couldn't move away and gripped his cursing jaw with his free hand, smacking their lips together.

Danny froze, and Phantom held still in confusion.

His confusion only grew when Danny's heart started beating steadily harder and faster, and any thought that had occupied the human's mind was completely erased and replaced by Phantom.

And then Danny kissed back, dragging his arms up Phantom's back up to his shoulders. The merman's eyes widened in shock at what he was forced to feel, nearly shivering in pleasure when Danny's nails dug into his skin and his lips molded sensually against his.

Phantom had always been the kisser with his victims, he had never been kissed in the thousands of years he had been alive. It was normal though, mermaids and mermen were never the receivers of that thing called affection. They were spawns of Hades, creatures of death, inside and out designed to kill the human race. They weren't capable of that thing called love, it was a myth to them.

To be kissed so passionately by this human who believed in love... Believed that he could not live without love... Believed that love was a part of who he was, who he wanted to be.

It was curious, and Phantom entertained it for a few minutes, closing his eyes and finding a strange sort of enjoyment from it.

But then his eyes shot open and he roughly broke the kiss. This was wrong. This was not supposed to happen. A human could not feel that way about a merman. He needed to put him in his place, remind him of who he was now. Remind him that he was in a place were things like love didn't exist in his world anymore.

A human could never fall in love with his kind.

Just like his kind could never fall in love with a human.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg Im soooooo sorry this chapter took so long. I hope the amount of angst and action in this is enough of an apology, I've been so busy with midterms and my final exam presentation. Holly crap i've been so busy.
> 
> Im so excited for the smut... legitimately can't wait to write and then post it. I already have it all planned out, I made it into a science, a science as advanced as brain surgery. 
> 
> I love feedback, I can take constructive criticism (seriously hit me with that crap, I want it, make me bleed with it, I like it rough) 
> 
> Also tell me if there is anything you would like to see in the plot. I already have it all planned out, but I love to take ideas and if I can implement them to make this more enjoyable then I will do the best I can cause I'm a slut for appreciation.
> 
> You guys are honestly so inspiring and I love the amount of support I'm getting with this. I honestly think this is the best fic I've ever written and I'm very proud of it.
> 
> Thank you!!!


	11. Place in Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bro. OMG bro. Shits gonna go down bro. Hope you enjoy bro.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

His human was amazing.

Even 6 months after kidnapping Danny and feeding off him multiple times, Phantom still hadn't gotten tired of his flavor. Usually, he would get tired of the taste of the same human just before he finished devouring them after stealing them away from their lives.

Danny had long ago stopped reacting whenever Phantom needed food. He had gotten used to the pain a while ago and it no longer bothered him, the kid didn't even flinch when Phantom's teeth tore away at him. The boy had pink scars decorating the entire expanse of his body, the fresher ones from 3 weeks ago a bright red where the skin had only just regenerated enough to close the wound. They were small, no more than an inch in diameter.

Phantom would be able to enjoy them more if Danny wasn't so emaciated. He actually kind of missed the amount of body mass the kid used to have, and not just because he could barely find a spot to get a good bite out of him anymore.

Death didn't look good on Danny.

His family had stopped looking for Danny long ago, and though he was satisfied that he had beat them in terms of keeping Danny all for himself, victory was bittersweet.

Danny was his, and his alone. He would give him up to nobody, no one was allowed to touch him ever. But, it was a shame that death would soon come to the boy. He actually wished that the kid would live for much longer. He actually could, if he would stop being _stubborn_ and actually _eat_ the food that Phantom finds and is nice enough to treat him with, all he had to do was let Phantom take care of him properly and he would live much longer. But Danny was very very stubborn and Phantom realized that death was an actual possibility for Danny. By that, he meant very soon, because at this rate Danny's heart could stop any day now.

Phantom could hear and smell everything that was going on in Danny's body, and currently, his heart was having trouble getting any nutrients to pump healthy blood throughout his body, especially up to his brain. The lack of nutrients is causing him to have severe lack of vision, his thoughts are always jumbled for reasons other than just depression, and his body was actively trying to get nutrients from the last remaining long term energy sources, like his endocrine system. 

His body defiantly wants to survive, but it doesn't seem like Danny wants to. The kid wouldn't even lift his head anymore, let alone open his eyes. Phantom had hardly seen those bright blue orbs in a month, and when he did see them they seemed so... defeated.

Maybe he should just end it for him? The boy _was_ starting to become a pebble in his shoe, ever since the brat kissed him Phantom had been feeling awkward. He wouldn't call it love, Hell no, or even affection of any kind. However, Phantom couldn't stand the power Danny seemed to have over him. Merpeople were never meant to ever know what shame or sadness felt like, but Phantom often suspected that's what it was that he felt when he felt that painful tugging in his stomach. How dare this stupid human teach him what shame was? 

'Hades forgive me.' he wasn't like the other merpeople anymore, he understood what sadness was. All because of this stupid, stubborn, suicidal bastard. If any of the others in the cove found out he would surely be killed.

Phantom's pride and his soul were in need of redemption, he needed to prove to his God that he was still worth his tail. 

The only mermaid ever known to have supposedly felt emotions towards a human lived thousands of years ago before Phantom was even born. Her name was Arisoal, and she fell in love with a human, she even sang to him just to make his sorry royal ass fall in love with her. Hades was outraged with her and gave her one final year to redeem herself by killing the human to restore her honor. But she was still madly in love with the prince, so after that year, Hades punished her by turning her into a human herself, and she lived and died just 50 short years later. She was a disgrace to the siren race, and she died a traitor. 

Yes, killing the boy did seem logical. Phantom took one more bite from Danny's meatless shoulder and buried his face in his neck.

Danny's eyes opened in confusion, Phantom had never done that before. Cuddling was a human thing to do, so why was this demon doing it?

"I'm just smelling you, pet, I wouldn't call this 'cuddling'." Phantom imagined how easy it would be to tear into the kid's throat, he would bleed out and die in seconds.

Fenton's face blushed, his neck was very sensitive and an admittedly attractive merman's face is pressing gently against it, he could not be blamed for the shiver that went down his spine.

Phantom's lips brushed against the boy's pulse as he smirked. "Silly, human."

...

"Mom?" Jazz sat on their family couch, "What's the matter?" it had been 3 weeks since they had accepted that there was no possible way that Danny was alive because the way those creatures had torn apart their diver team... the animosity still made its way into their thoughts often. Vlad had also taken away the resources that he had offered when he originally joined the search, he had refused to allow the Fenton's to waste his money trying to find a boy that was most definitely dead. So not only had they given up hope, they no longer had the equipment to continue the search anymore, because their own submarine is so faulty that it his no longer safe to use, and they don't even have the money to repair it.

The amount of regret and self-hatred for not finding Danny was palpable and dropped a burden on what was left of the Fenton home It was in the air that they breathed, as if the death of Danny was an actual scent that filled their home. 

Sam and Tucker visited for support, but Jazz knew that they were both suffering themselves and could hardly come out of their houses for any other reason other than school. They mostly spent their time at Tucker's house and ordered their food online. They were taking it just as hard as the Fenton family, they had been friends with Danny since they were three, and they loved him just as much as everyone else.

Vlad hadn't even tried to contact them again since he aborted the search party, and Jazz was a little hurt by that. If anyone was going to be calling for emotional support she would have thought that it would have been Vlad, but it was like he completely abandoned the family.

"Jazmine." Maddie Fenton sat on the couch next to her daughter and took a deep breath, Jack stood by the armrest on the other side of Jazz and put a hand on her shoulder. "Your father and I have something to discuss with you."

"What about?" she asked innocently, looking between her father's concerned face and her mother's nervous one.

Maddie tried to figure out the words to say to her daughter, she wished with all her heart that Jazz was ten years younger and less likely to understand fully what was going on, so she could grow and learn and perhaps be less hurt. But, there was no way to refute the amount of betrayal Jazz was about to feel.

"Well Jazzy, your father and I have decided," she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes, she never imagined that having this conversation would be this hard, "We decided that we would spend some time apart, and sweetie," she put a hand on her daughter's knee after she saw the dramatic emotion change from concern to shock and horror, "I want to make sure you know that it has nothing to do with you, or what happened to Danny. You two are perfect angels, it's because your father and I have just been having problems, and it doesn't seem like its going to work."

"But," Jazz gulped, "But why? Where is Dad going to go?" Anxiety rose up in her chest and her heart started beating faster, she couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mother's mouth.

"Actually sweetie, your father's keeping the house, I'm the one leaving." Maddie wiped a tear that fell from Jazz's blue eye.

"Why are you leaving? Where are you going to go." her vision was blurry, but she couldn't figure out if it was because of overwhelming sadness, or because of the tears that were starting to fall. She couldn't believe it, first, she loses her brother, and now she was losing her mother. Their family was breaking apart just like she feared it would with Danny's absence.

"I'm going to go stay with Vlad for a while, he's willing to let me stay there." This was Maddie's first mistake in this conversation, and she knew it as soon as the confusion flew across Jazz's face and she gave her mother a questioning look.

"Why aren't you staying with your sister? She's closer, and It's scientifically proven that girl's offer other girls better emotional support."

Maddie didn't know what to say if she lied then Jazz would find out, all she had to do was call her Aunt.

But Maddie took too long to answer, and that was her second mistake because Jazz then looked at her mother as if she was the most horrible human being in the world. Everything made sense now, the distance that she had seen between her Mom and Dad, the hatred that her father looked to have sometimes when Vlad was around, the way her Mom and Vlad looked at each other now... There could be no other reason such a happy couple would split unless one of them was unfaithful.

"You cheated on Dad with Vlad, didn't you." It wasn't even a question, it was definitely an accusation, and Maddie couldn't say anything to deny it.

Maddie put a hand over her mouth, Jazz wasn't supposed to find out this way, "I'm sorry." That was Madeline's third mistake, starting to cry in front of her daughter and her soon to be ex-husband, as if she was a victim.

Jazz looked up at her father, who looked nothing but concerned for her as he looked down at his daughter with as much love and support as he could throw at Jazz with just his eyes.

How could her mother, who was supposed to love her family, cheat on such a kind man? Her Dad had taken care of them, loved them, protected them _all these years_. Yet her mom decided to go with Vlad? Her father's best friend? The same man that used to read bedtime stories to her and Danny?

It made her sick. But her mother wasn't in the house by the time she got out of the restroom. Just her father, who handed her a mug of hot chocolate and offered to order a pizza.

...

He should kill the human. 

Phantom sat perched on the rock with Danny. The heat was nice, and Phantom could enjoy it for a few minutes before he would have to get back in the water. If he stayed on dry land for too long he would eventually dry out and die. 

Danny was sitting up, hugging his knees to his chest as he stared out at the water.

He should _definitely_ kill the human.

He crawled a little farther up the rock and brushed some hair behind Danny's ear. It had gotten really long over the 6 months that he's kept him, and the boy looked more and more like a girl every week that it got longer, it was already a couple inches past his shoulder and he was having a lot of trouble keeping his bangs out of his face.

"Pet?" Danny's only visible blue eye made contact with Phantoms neon green ones. "Do you still want to die?"

Danny blinked and lifted a hand to remove the rest of his hair away from his face, Phantom didn't miss the hopefulness and the slight fear that started radiating off the boy's frame. It smelled funny, like it wanted to be sweet but ended up being sour.

Danny nodded, "Are you going to do it?" 

"Yes."

The bluntness of Phantom's response seemed to bother Danny slightly. It was okay, Phantom thought, it was a natural human response to fear death when it was so close. He seemed more relieved than anything, glad that he wouldn't have to live this life anymore.

Phantom grabbed the back of Danny's head and pulled the boy closer, keeping a grip on his hair and maintaining eye contact.

Danny bit his lip, "Will it hurt a lot?"

Phantom blinked, it was an odd question to ask when Danny's pain threshold seemed so high. "I can try to be gentle." he offered.

Danny started thinking about his mother, and how much he took her for granted, all those hugs that he refused to return, all those times he just hummed at her when she told him she loved him.

Danny sighed, looking between Phantoms emotionless eyes, "Between quick and painless, I'd rather it be quick."

"Then it will hurt, for a moment."

A lonely tear fell from Danny's eye as he nodded and it rolled off his sharp cheekbone onto Phantom's extended arm. The merman looked down at it as it continued to roll between his arm hair before seeping into his skin. He took a deep breath and sniffed the bittersweet smell of sorrow rolling out of the boy's pores, trying hard not to feel anything for himself as he tilted his head to examine his thin neck. He could see the humans rapid pulse as it thumped behind the kid's thin layer of skin.

Danny thought about Sam and Tucker, and about the moment he realized he couldn't live without either of them. Back when people first found out that he was gay and started bullying him for it, and they were both there to keep him from swallowing those pills at thirteen years old. 

It's like he was meant to die young.

Phantom pulled Danny a little closer, slowly taking his time and leaning in towards the boy's throat. The raven knew he would be dead soon.

He thought about his Dad, and how awful it was to have died without having a great relationship with his son. He was dead and Danny would never be able to tell his father what he meant to him like he had wanted to for so long but couldn't keep the man's attention long enough to do so. How was his mom coping with both her husband and her only son being either missing or dead? She must be so heartbroken.

Phantom breathed Danny's scent in, the amount of pain and sorrow mixed with the saltiness of his natural odor was intoxicating.

He wondered what his sister was doing. She, at least, had to be doing semi-okay, she was strong, and though he knew he was her best friend in the entire world and she loved him very much, she had to be doing okay at least.

Right?

Another tear left his eyes when he realized he wasn't actually ready to die, he just didn't want to spend whatever was left of his life the way he was living it currently. What did it matter though? Phantom would never free him anyway. It was just better this way.

Phantom licked a long trail from Danny's collar bone to his ear, making goosebumps appear on his arms and hot tingles ignite where his tongue touched. His heart beat a little faster as anticipation mixed in with lust.

The merman smelled it immediately, and his eyes opened at the fruity scent with interest.

Danny could just barely makeup Phantom's face from the corner of his eye, and he admired him for the last time. It wouldn't be such a bad dead, he decided, to be killed by the most beautiful creature he had ever seen or ever would lay eyes on. He could feel himself heat up as acceptance and adoration replaced fear. His breath was taken away and he allowed himself to bask in the warmth for the last seconds of his life. He had a sudden desire to touch Phantom somehow, so he lifted his hand up and dug it in the surprisingly soft white locks of hair by his face.

At least he could die knowing what love is. That's more then most humans got.

Phantom's head flinched away from Danny's neck as if he had been electrocuted. 'Screw this human, how dare he?' he angrily thought to himself. 

"I can't do it." He said in a very accusing tone because it was Danny's fault. This son of a bitch, the piece of shit _human_ screwed him up so bad, that he couldn't even kill him. 

Danny looked at Phantom oddly, what did he mean he couldn't do it? He was a male siren and had been cruel to him the entire time that he has known him, he was biologically supposed to kill him viciously. So why couldn't he do it all of a sudden?

Phantom shifted, and Danny sat up straight again as he watched the merman change his position into one that looked like a predator about to tackle prey. "Brace yourself, they're coming."

"What?" Danny asked, though he didn't have any time to get an answer, because half a millisecond later, Phantom tackled him off the rock and they were both engulfed under the surface of the water.

Everything happened so fast and Danny was in full panic mode, adrenaline was coursing through his body as he cleared his blurry vision and saw the number of mermaids chasing them thirty feet behind. His body was sort of thrown over Phantom's shoulder and he could see all too well what was going on behind them as the merman carried him at a faster pace than any speed Danny had the stomach to handle before.

Phantom crawled up the dry sand as far as his legless bottom half would allow and threw Danny the rest of the way onto the beach.

No sooner did Danny sit up to take in his surroundings, Samantha threw seaweed at Danny and forced it to wrap around his ankle, using it as a rope to pull him back into the water. The boy helplessly tried to grab the ground around him and resist, but he knew he was no match to the strength of a mermaid. Luckily he didn't need strength, because Phantom bit threw the tough weed with one strong chomp and then tackled the mermaid away so she couldn't do it again. None of the other mermaid's had a power that would come in handy to get the human back in the water, so they all tried to pull Phantom off their only hope. 

However, Phantom was stronger, and more powerful than all of them combined, and he fought them off with his ice energy. He knew none of them could handle extreme cold, so he took advantage of their weakness and forced them to back off. The merman couldn't believe that because of the human, he had risked both being seen by other humans who could possibly be on the beach and being torn apart by the angry mermaids he was supposed to be the leader of.

Danny was watching starstruck behind him, slowly scooting away and unable to bring himself to do much else as he watched in both horror and amazement as the mermaid's tried to take Phantom down. It was only right then that he realized just how trapped he was in Phantom's cave, surely he would never have been able to escape such a strong and powerful creature even _if_ people came looking for him.

He could hardly move until Phantom turned and hissed at him to "Run the fuck away dumbass." But as soon as those words were spoken it was like electric wires to a puddle of water, and Danny started moving.

The lack of using his legs for the past 6 months was definitely keeping him from moving very fast, and the lack of muscle or any fat at all was also detrimental to his speed, but eventually he was able to crawl far enough away that the mermaid's seemed to give up on trying to get to him. It was night time and the sky was darker than Phantoms soul, but Danny could still see the dozens of glowing angry eyes watching him as he used the wall of a gift shop to stand, and the sight struck him to the very core.

The last thing he saw of his merman, was him diving and swimming away with dozens of mermaids hot on his tail.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg Danny is finally on land again. 
> 
> I meant what I said when I mentioned this was going to be a slow build.
> 
> I mean really, 11 chapters and almost 40k words later Phantom only just grows a heart. lol
> 
> Can you believe this story isn't even half over?


	12. Stronger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but it works so well.
> 
> No chapter warnings.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

The air was cold, and the rain fell down hard as Danny walked up to a gift shop near the beach parking lot. The whole place was deserted probably due to the weather and there was no chance of anyone seeing him. He grabbed a big rock and busted the window without a care in the world and crawled his way inside. It was full of basic beach necessities and many of the luxury items Danny had loved as a kid, like floaties, beach balls, surfboards, and fake fishing poles. He went straight for the rack that held a crap load of ugly swim trunks, grabbed a random pair that looked like would fit, and a beach towel and made his way back outside.

Danny was still very wet, and the idea of being dry was so far away from him at this point. The unforgiving rain pelted down on him, so he covered himself with a towel and started walking. He knew the walk to his house would be a long one, and he also knew the chances of making it there without being bothered by anyone was between slim to none, but he still traveled through the shortest route he knew.

He didn't stop. Not even when people called to him. Not even when people tried to stop him. He just kept walking, avoiding eye contact and staying away from other people.

Eventually, the rain stopped, allowing his raw and bleeding feet a chance to dry and stop rubbing painfully against wet concrete. He wished he had taken some wet shoes from the shop, but he didn't see them and he was too determined to make it home as fast as possible. The thought of a hot bath and a hot bowl of soup was an exhilarating thought that kept his feet from stopping.

His knees ached and his meatless thighs hurt, but he wasn't going to give up until he was safe in his home.

Danny shivered, clutching the damp towel around him tighter. He would probably be warmer if he lost the towel, but he wasn't ready for strangers to walk up to him in concern of his anorexic and naked appearance. He probably looked like he just escaped from a concentration camp.

He just wanted to be home, he couldn't believe that after all that pain and suffering he went through he was finally back on land, finally walking the path back to his normal life.

He was worried about his mom's reaction, how was she going to react when he waltzed right up to her door months after being taken. She probably thought he was dead. Hell, he probably even looked dead.

How long had he been gone anyways? He knew it had to be longer than just a few months but what year was it?

He stopped just long enough to look through one of those boxes that held the daily news and looked at the date, the street lamp is his only light source.

February 25, 2018.

He had been missing for almost 7 months. Danny nearly blacked out from the shock. He needed water and soon.

The first garbage can he saw he dove head first into, grabbing a tossed water bottle and downing the rest of its contents, immediately choking on it. He grabbed another one and drank it slowly this time, water had never tasted so good before.

Climbing out of the dumpster, he started walking again. He had already been walking for hours, and he was growing more and more tired, but he refused to stop and rest. He needed to be with his mother as soon as possible, show her he was alive, hug her tight and tell her that he loved her.

He couldn't stop, now that the prospect of being able to see his mother, his sister, and his friends again was so close he couldn't possibly waste another minute. He needed to be in someone's arms as soon as possible, someone who loved him.

When he finally made it onto his street, his pace picked up despite the pain and his exhaustion. He tripped on the stairs that lead up to his house, but he got up quickly, dropping the towel from around his shoulders and knocking frantically on the door. He winced as he banged his boney knuckles against the hardwood of the front door.

Nobody answered, and a tear dropped out of his desperate eyes as he knocked again, but he gave up almost immediately, knowing where they kept an extra house key.

It wasn't there. What happened to it?

He threw the mat away, only just noticing that the RV wasn't in the driveway.

His mom wasn't home?

Whatever he would just break a fucking window, nothing was stopping him from getting into the house.

Danny went down the stairs, picking up the towel on the way and went to the side of the house. He grabbed a big rock and busted the glass window with it, using the towel to protect his body from the broken glass and crawled inside.

He was finally home.

It was just how he remembered it.

Pictures still decorated the walls, the furniture was right where it used to be, and it still smelled like hot fudge and corn dogs. It was the sight, and the smell, that he needed to reassure himself that he was here. It grounded him in the present and kept him down to earth.

This wasn't a dream.

He was actually here, in his house.

A quiet happy sob left his throat, and another wave of tears dripped from his eyes.

He got up, and immediately went to the kitchen, opened up the fridge and grabbed the milk. He opened the lid and started drinking it straight from the bottle. His Dad used to do this all the time and he remembered how much his mother would hate it, even Danny used to be disgusted when he caught his father doing it, and now he felt like a giant hypocrite because here he was doing it without any care.

He stopped drinking when bile rose up in his throat, and he dove for the trash can just in time to empty what little there was in his stomach.

Coughing up what was stuck in his throat, Danny got up and grabbed a glass from the covered and filled it with water. He then went very to the pantry and grabbed the jar of peanut butter.

"Oh peanut butter," another wave of tears fell from his eyes as his mouth orgasmed at the taste of the creamy condiment. It was by far the most delicious thing he had ever experienced, he would never take it for granted again. After months of eating almost nothing but that disgusting raw seaweed, Danny thought the taste of peanut butter would surely be his fetish in the future.

Suddenly the kitchen light turned on and he was momentarily blinded. Danny hissed as he dropped his glass of water to cover his eyes.

He heard a gasp to his right and Danny nearly choked when his eyes adjusted to the light.

His Dad was standing there, with a bat slowly dropping from his hands.

Danny's grip on the jar of peanut butter loosened and it slipped from his fingers, dropping to the floor with a sharp thump.

"Dad?" He briefly wondered if his eyes were playing a cruel joke on him, that his brain was suffering so much malnutrition that it was making him _think_ he saw his dead father.

But then his Dad was on his knees in front of him, at eye level with Danny, and gathering him quickly into his arms.

That warmth was real.

The tears falling on his shoulder were real.

The body he felt in his arms was _real_.

Another sob escaped Danny's throat, high pitched and sounding nothing close to noises his father was making into his shoulder.

How was this possible? He thought his father died shortly after Phantom kidnapped him. Did he escape?

No that wasn't possible; Danny had all the faith in the world for his father, but the man couldn't outrun a turtle on land let alone a pack of mermaids in water. It couldn't have been a boat either, the mermaid's would have taken it down when they realized he was being rescued.

No, he didn't escape, he had to have had help. Someone helped him escape.

Phantom helped him escape.

He helped his father escape all those months ago.

Why though? Why help his father, but not release _him_ for 6 and a half months?

Why didn't he tell him he saved his father? Why allow Danny to go through the pain of losing his father if he had rescued him as he asked?

To protect him.

He realized if Phantom had told Danny that he saved his father, then the rest of the mermaid's in the cove would have read his thoughts and come after his very vulnerable self out of anger at Phantom. They would have ripped him apart whether Phantom wanted them to or not

Phantom definitely was selfish, that's for sure, but Danny would never call him a monster again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment I have been wanting to write since chapter four.
> 
> I almost cried.
> 
> But I didn't.
> 
> Am I soulless?
> 
>  
> 
> Nah, I'm good.


	13. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Jack had already called Maddie and Jazz about Danny's return. The boy was upstairs in his room taking a shower, and Jack was in the kitchen cooking him a bowl of soup. If Danny's weight and the vomit in the trash can was anything to go by, Jack didn't think Danny would be able to handle anything heavier than soft noodles and broth. Wherever he's been all this time, he got nowhere near enough nutrients.

Maddie and Jazz had both cried over the phone, both of them promising to be on the first plane over to Amity to see him. Jazz didn't care that she had an essay due the next morning, and Maddie didn't wait for Vlad to pack his things, she just went by herself.

Jack told them both that they should prepare themselves because Danny didn't look anything like he used to and was almost unrecognizable, but they insisted that they didn't care as long as he was safe and sound waiting for them to come home.

Danny had questioned why his mother wasn't in the house, but Jack had just quietly told him to go shower and get some rest, and that he would make him something to eat that his stomach could handle. He needed to get some nutrients into Danny's system before he went to bed.

Walking up the stairs with a mug full of warm chicken broth and some broken noodles, Jack hoped that this wasn't a dream. That he had actually woken up to the sound of the window shattering, and that he was actually walking up these stairs to take care of the son he had thought he lost.

He should take him to the hospital.

That could wait. Danny needed rest for now. He could take him to the hospital tomorrow. There was no telling what kind of PTSD or trauma his son went through, and what he probably needed most right now was to re-familiarise himself with his bed.

He knocked gently on his son's door and it was opened a minute later with Danny standing there in his Pj's. He smelled a lot better and his hair was clean, so his dad assumed he had already taken his shower. He looked so small now, much smaller than Jack remembered, and was dangerously thin. His skin was much paler than it was before he went missing, his hair was now passed his shoulders and a hectic mess that he looked to be having trouble keeping out of his face.

Jack held back the bite of sadness and instead held up the mug of soup, "Hey son, you should drink this before you go to sleep, get some nutrients into your body."

Danny didn't say anything, he just grabbed the mug and turned to sit on the bed, looking down at the creamy beige looking liquid with an almost lost expression that had his father sighing. He quietly entered his son's room and sat on the bed next to him as the boy weakly lifted to cup up to his lips and took a few slow sips.

The heat of the liquid was soothing and slipped down his throat to wash away the bile that still irritated him. It was surreal, the fact that he had just come back home and was now in his room rediscovering all these different flavors that he had completely forgot existed.

Like here was _chicken broth_ ,  the taste of it was so foreign but so potent and great that Danny knew he would never get tired of drinking it. This reminder of what chicken, and green onion, and garlic, and what all these other flavors tasted like would from this point on be one of his favorite memories.

He had always loved food, and his parents never had a problem with him finishing his dinner growing up because he was never much of a picky eater. But to relearn all the food that he hadn't eaten in so long after having anything but raw bacteria infested seaweed... Danny would never stop enjoying things even as simple as chicken flavored soup.

"Danny?" he heard his father ask quietly from his spot beside him, "Do you remember anything?" he had seen the number of scars that had decorated his sons body when they were in the kitchen and Danny hadn't been in the long sleeved pajamas that he wore now, and Jack didn't feel like he needed to ask where they came from. It seemed obvious enough since he was kidnapped by man-eating sirens, but what Jack couldn't figure out was how he survived and how he was able to make it back home.

Danny regarded his father with a tired expression, wondering if he should tell his father about Phantom. About what the merman did, about what he didn't do, about how he was treated and how Phantom protected him the entire time he was in captivity. His father would surely ask a lot of questions that Danny wasn't sure he wanted to answer.

"No," Danny finally said, "I don't remember a lot, just darkness, and cold." he drank some more of the soup and chewed some of the noodles that were in it. "I think I was asleep a lot. I just remember waking up on the beach and walking home."

His father nodded, obviously believing him. "You should finish that and get some rest, I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow."

Danny nodded. "Will you call Sam and Tucker?"

Jack nodded, "Anything you want, son."

Danny smiled, "And Dad." He stopped the older man again before he could walk out of the room.

Out of all the things he _thought_ Danny would say, Jack couldn't help but snicker and laugh at what Danny _actually_ said.

"I'm sorry about the window."

...

"Where is he?!" Sam and Tucker burst through the front door to the Fenton house and almost bulldozed passed Jack Fenton on their way up the stairs, but he stopped them both before they could get through. They were both panting and Sam looked like she was ready to cry, and neither of them seemed to be able to take their eyes off the top of the stairs.

"Hold on kids," Jack stopped them, "Danny's is very _very_ fragile right now, don't mention anything about my divorce with Maddie, alright?"

"Of course not," Tucker said roughly, why Jack felt the need to tell them the obvious was unknown to the two teens.

"Also, I just want to warn you guys," Jack paused and looked at them sadly, "He doesn't seem to be the Danny that we remember. He's tired, dangerously thin, and probably suffering from whatever he went through. He says he doesn't remember much of what happened, but that doesn't mean he's the same as he was."

"Are you going to take him to the hospital?" Sam asked, feeling as though a rope was trying to yank her passed Mr. Fenton and up the stairs to Danny's room. 

"Tomorrow, after he gets some rest." Jack moved out of their way and allowed them to dash past him, "Go on, he misses you guys."

They didn't need to be told twice, they had both been at Sam's mansion when Jack called them and told them that Danny was home. They had hardly allowed Mr. Fenton to finish saying whatever he was going to say over the phone before they were dashing passed Sam's parents, screaming about how Danny was back.

Sam vaguely remembered her mother and father calling her name, but she hadn't cared enough to stop running with Tucker out of the house and down the street to see what they had said.

As soon as they were up the stairs, they went straight for Danny's room and opened the door, not sure what they were expecting to see. They were hoping to see the same Danny that they remembered, as they remembered seeing him last. Maybe on his computer playing his old games, or trying to complete the homework that had laid abandoned on his desk since before he was taken.

They weren't prepared for the sight of the boy that had to be at least 60 pounds lighter than they remembered, sitting on his bed staring out the window with a blank look on his face.

When Danny heard Sam and Tucker walk in, his head turned to look at them weirdly, and they were briefly afraid that he didn't recognize them. But then a smile broke across Danny's face, and they knew that their best friend was back. 

Danny got up to meet them halfway across the distance but they were much faster, and before he could even fully stand up and reach for them, they were already hugging him.

...

Danny had already been taken to the hospital, and the doctors had taken the time to examine the boy who had been missing for almost 7 months. It wasn't often someone who had been allegedly kidnapped lived to come home and tell the tale, and they took great care and interest in his case.

They had run all kinds of tests. Blood tests, urine tests, even STI examination tests just to make sure, though they checked and proved that Danny had never been sexually assaulted. They were able to confirm to Jack privately, however, that wherever Danny was all that time, he was _definitely_ being chewed on my some strange animal at least every few weeks.

They wanted to keep him overnight but his father refused, knowing his son just wanted to go home and probably couldn't handle any more excitement. So they sent him home with medicine to help him get the nutrients back into his body and also helped him get on a plan to get some weight back on his bones. They set him up with a note to give to his school, and then they wheeled him out the door.

His mother and sister were there when they got home, and they both hugged him so tight that he thought he would break. Danny didn't mind though, he wanted them to crush him, to hug him tight and never let go.

Their reunion was full of tears and probably a good amount of snot from all three of them sobbing, but Danny didn't care. All that mattered to him was the fact that he was with his family and friends again. His last vision of his loved ones was never meant to be the last he saw of them, and here they were now holding him months later looking more beautiful than he remembered.

Later when Danny, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam were all sleeping in Danny's room, Jack was in the kitchen grabbing the ice cream out of the fridge when Maddie cleared her throat.

He looked over at her, giant spoon and gallon of creamy dessert in hand, and huffed.

"What?" He asked impolitely. She couldn't tell him when it was too late for ice cream anymore.

"So..." She started hesitantly. "When should we tell him?"

Jack smacked his lips together, enjoying the flavor of chocolate on his tongue. "Soon, but not tonight, or tomorrow. We should give him a little time to adjust before we break it to him."

"It's going to be hard to hide with us in separate bedrooms." She tried to hold the conversation.

"Yeah, it will be," Jack had honestly stopped hiding it when they told Jazz, they weren't anticipating Danny to ever return, and It was horrible that he had to return to a broken family so _different_ than when he was last here. Fist he's kidnapped and kept who knows where, and forced to endure who knows what, and now he comes home hoping to see the same loving parents- only to be disappointed a few days later when he finds out they are divorced.

Why must it have happened like this?

"We'll worry about it later," Jack finally said. "For now just expect to stay a few days, just to allow him to be comforted with both his parents here."

Maddie nodded, and slowly turned around to head up the stairs to the guest bedroom, "Goodnight." She said softly, hoping for a response.

She got none, and she held back her tears as she entered Danny's room and fell asleep on the floor with no room on the bed, clutching his hand in hers.

...

This is wrong.

This is so wrong that he has to do this.

Jack Fenton slowly opened the door to his son's room. It was days after the hospital visit, and Maddie and Jazz had only just started sleeping in rooms other than Danny's. They had spent the next five days, after they first hugged Danny, sleeping in whatever room Danny passed out in. Too afraid that if they fell asleep in any other room, they would wake up and Danny would be gone again. Sam and Tucker stayed almost every day with the same fear, and this was really the first night they were all satisfied that he wouldn't disappear while they all slept.

Danny was finally alone and he could slip by without anyone noticing.

He stepped into his son's bedroom and tiptoed over to the raven's bed, a familiar mop of black hair was peaking out from under the covers and Jack paused to make sure he was still asleep.

They had taken Danny to get his hair cut a couple days ago, wanting Danny to look as he used to for the boy's sake. He wanted so bad to go back to how things used to be, so they had also gone to replace his phone already. Danny tried every day to get his life back, going back to his normal schedule as best as he remembered. Showering first thing in the morning, playing some video games on his computer which he found he was painfully rusty at, eating whatever his stomach would allow him, and visiting with friends and family throughout the day.

For the most part, everything was as it used to be, more or less. Danny would be starting school again soon too. Vlad had pulled some strings and made it so Danny wouldn't have to repeat his sophomore year, as long as he made up the school work that he missed, and passed both the midterm and the final. That would mean that he would be spending a lot of time doing homework in the near future, but Danny seemed almost excited to do so.

Everything was falling back into place, mostly how it should be, and how it should have always been.

But one thing didn't sit well with Jack.

Which was why he quietly grabbed one of the strands of raven black hair sticking out from under the covers, making sure Danny was fast asleep and yanked it out of its hair follicle.

Danny didn't stir, and Jack sighed in relief as he put the strand of hair on a napkin and quickly left to Jazz's room.

She slept similar to Danny, with the covers up past her face and her red hair peeking out of the covers. He quietly went over to the side of her bed and did the same as he did Danny, wincing when Jazz shifted a little in response to the slight pain on her scalp as the hair was ripped away.

Jack put both hairs away and left Jazz's room undetected, and then rushed down the stairs to his lab. He had what he needed, now it was time to find out what he couldn't live without knowing.

He turned on the necessary equipment to run a DNA test and slipped both of his kid's hairs in the sensor. He then grabbed a piece of his graying hair off his own head, grabbed the napkin out of the incubator that he for some reason saved from Vlad's dinner plate months ago, and put them both in the DNA reader.

Jack went over to the computer and opened up the readings. Anxiety and hope running it's course through his body. He would always love his kids no matter what, he didn't care if he was the father or Vlad, or even if the father was Satan himself. He would always love his children.

He just needed to know for sure.

He opened up the file with Danny's name and sighed in relief when his son's DNA was a match to both Maddie and himself. That was a good sign, Danny was his, he was his child and Maddie couldn't fight for custody that way.

With new found confidence, Jack closed Danny's file and opened Jazz's.

But then his whole world crashed around him and burned when his name did not appear in her ancestry. He didn't know what to do with himself as his eyes and brain processed the document in front of him, so all he knew to do was grab his face and start crying.

There were only two names written in Jazmine's file for a DNA match, and neither name was Jack Fenton.

It was Madeline Fenton and Vladimir Masters.

...

"Danny," Jack Fenton called down his son, who came down the stairs a moment later followed by Sam, Jazz, and Tucker.

Danny looked between his mother and father, eyebrows raising in concern at their shared sad expressions. This looked serious, he thought.

"Your mother and I need to talk to you about something."  Jack looked between his daughter and both of the teen's friends with pointed looks, and they caught on quickly.

Jazz cleared her throat, "come on guys," she put either hand on their backs and lead them to the front door, "let's go get Danny one of those giant ice cream sundaes that he likes."

Danny thought that was a code for something and he looked at Jazz for answers, but she only gave him a weak and sad smile. He knew that in the past, he only ate those when he was very depressed, and Jazz knew that, all of them did. It was as if his sister was trying to say something, or warn him of something.

The looks his parents had on their faces was only making Danny more and more nervous about what his parents needed to talk to him about.

When his sister and friends were out of the house, Jack patted the spot on the couch between him and his mother, and Danny tentatively walked over to sit down.

"Danny, sweetie." His mother's words were soft, it was a sound that he had missed while he was in captivity, a sound that he hoped he would never have to go a day without again. She put a hand on his cheek and he instinctively leaned into the touch.

"Your father and I," Maddie had a hard time looking into Danny's eyes. How could she look at him and tell him that she was leaving his father to go live with Vlad?

She cleared her throat and looked at his nose, it was much easier to get it out that way. "Your father and I have separated."

"What?" Danny's eyes widened as he yelled out in complete shock. "What do you mean you _separated_? Why?" He could feel his heartbreaking and his throat closing up. It felt as if his stomach wanted to be ripped out of his body and was actively trying to make it's way up his esophagus to escape the horror that was Danny's unconditional sadness.

Everything changed so fast, he could hardly comprehend the difference.

"Danny," Maddie called his name over and over to get him to calm down and look at her, Jack was petting his back with as much comfort as he could possibly give but tears still made their way behind Danny's ice blue eyes.

"Is it because of me?" He asked, the prospect of it being his fault seemed so plausible. They had been happily married for 20 years and suddenly he disappears, comes back and they are _divorced_?! It had to be his fault.

"No, Danny, honey, listen to me." She didn't know what was worse; telling Danny that she cheated on his father with his godfather, or allowing him to live thinking their divorce was his fault. Which one was safer? Which one would spare him the most despair?

She had no experience with this. How many people did she know in her situation? None. Zero. She had no idea what to do.

"I cheated on him, Danny." She wound up blurting out, she couldn't stand Danny to _not_ know. It was different than when they talked to Jazz about this, she wasn't prone to blame herself for their separation, but Danny was. All he knew was they were together before he was taken, and now they are not.

She just hoped she didn't say the wrong thing. She hoped this was the best course of action; telling him the truth. If he hated her then fine, she could live with that, but she couldn't live with herself if Danny lost who he was out of self-hatred thinking he was the cause for their divorce.

Danny froze when those words were uttered from his mother's mouth.

His mother.

His _hero_.

The only woman, besides his sister, that he ever loved, cheated on his father?

"With who? For how long? Why?" Dozens of questions entered his head, but those were the only ones that could make it out of his mouth as his body started shaking.

Maddie didn't hesitate, Danny disserved the truth. "With Vlad... For a really long time." She sighed, "and I just made a big mistake."

 _Vlad, huh_? Danny thought, his face losing any emotional expression as he stared at his arms which were hugging his knees to his chest. _Can't have me, so he goes for my mom._

_And like an idiot, she went._

A long moment passed, and for a while nobody said anything.

Until Maddie spoke again. "Now honey. You know I have always loved you and always will, and ultimately it's your choice, but if you want to come to live with me and Vlad, or even just visit, you're always welcome."

Hell no. No way was he leaving his father to go live with that _mother/wife stealing pedophilic asshole_.

"I'm staying with Dad." He said sharply, angrier than he ever remembered being.

Maddie bit her tongue, wishing her son had put a little more thought into coming to live with her. He just turned her down without even a second thought, and it hurt her, but honestly, what did she expect?

She just hoped her baby boy didn't hate her guts now.

Trying to contain her sobs, she nodded and left to go upstairs. Her plane would be leaving in the morning, and though she wished she wasn't getting on it alone, she was glad she would be leaving the tense air of her old home.

When Danny and his Dad were alone, Danny tipped himself over to rest against Jack's side. Laying his head on his dad's shoulder, and never taking his eyes off his bent knees as Jack put an arm around his shaking form.

"I'm sorry Dad." He said, feeling so bad for his father. He knew Jack had always done nothing but shower his family in affection. Did nothing but love and protect them with all his heart and soul. And his wife, who he had loved more than _any_ woman he had ever met or ever would meet, left him for his 25 years long best friend.

...

The mermaids had stopped chasing him long before Phantom realized he was trapped.

He had been swimming against the current, on his way far away from that damned cove and beach, when he hit a wall.

He had crashed right into it, but he couldn't see anything. It was like a thick wall of glass was keeping him from crossing the shallows. He couldn't cross it, nor could he jump over it. Other fish around him had no problem getting in and out of the shallow waters, so why was he having so much trouble getting through?

He banged on the invisible wall as hard as he could, trying to break through whatever invisible force was trapping him. He also tried swimming around it but it just went on and on until eventually, he crashed into another wall preventing him from going any further.

What the hell was going on? Why couldn't he leave this continent? Why couldn't he leave into the deep blue sea? Why was he stuck like a common fish pet in a glass tank?

"This is impossible." Phantom thought to himself.

"Hey, Phantom!" A happy and chipper voice said behind him, and Phantom hissed with red eyes as he turned in the direction the male voice spoke.

A man with blue skin and fire for hair smirked back at Phantom evilly, he wore a long dark robe and was dressed in skull jewelry from head to toe. His appearance was as cliche as the humans made him out to be, but also just as threatening.

Phantom's eyes immediately turned back to green and he bowed down in respect when he recognized who it was.

"Hades." Phantom greeted, "Forgive me, I didn't know it was you."

"You can rise and look at me, kid." Hedes tapped the top of Phantom's head, "There's no need for that kind of stuff, I'm not Zeus, and I'm not going to turn you to stone if you make eye contact." His attitude was passive, like an intelligent hippy that didn't do drugs and was great at poker.

Hades passed Phantom and walked towards the wall that was apparently _his_ doing, moving on legs as if he wasn't underwater. "How do you like it?" He flicked the wall as if it was made of jelly and Phantom could see shimmering light expand out from where the god touched. "I made it just for you, a little gift for betraying your race."

Phantom knew what he was talking about, he should have killed the kid when he had the chance. No idiotic human was ever worth the punishment of Hades.

"See, that's just what I was thinking, Phantom." Hades turned and smirked at Phantom's scowling face, "'No _human,_ is worth it'." He spit out the word 'human' as if he needed to rid himself of the verb from his vocabulary.

Phantom sighed, "So is this my punishment then? I'm not allowed to ever leave this part of the beach and I'm supposed to rot here until I lose my sanity?"

Hedes actually laughed, loud like the humans that Phantom often saw around when they were drinking alcohol. The god stepped up to the merman and pinched his cheek as if they were relatives that hadn't seen each other in years, "Your so cute Phantom, I'm glad I created you."

Phantom didn't enjoy the endearment. "What are you going to do to me then?"

"You see," Hades pointed a boney taloned finger at him, "That's what I like about you Phantom, you always want to get right to the point." He used the same finger to draw across his sharp blue-skinned jaw as he regarded Phantom with amusement. "I can see your interested and just shivering in your scales to hear the details, aren't you?"

Phantom was getting more and more nervous the longer he talked to the god that created him. Hades could do whatever he wanted, he could make anything happen to Phantom. If Hades decided he wanted to turn Phantom into a toad, he would. If he decided he wanted to turn him into a flea, he could. If he decided to make Phantom into his slave for all eternity, he would have to give up his freedom.

"Actually Phantom," Hades said, "That's not exactly how I operate. As amusing at it would be to turn you into an insect, I prefer to give all my creations the freedom of choice." It was odd to have someone other than himself who could read his every thought without permission. It felt like an invasion and Phantom didn't like it, but what could he do about it?

"So I'll tell you what's gonna happen," Hades held up a finger again, "I'm going to give you one year, that's 365 days starting from the moment I disappear, to _**choose**_ to kill the child and prove to me that your worth those fins of yours." He poked Phantom on the nose.

The merman's mouth started to open to question how he was going to do that when the human was on land, but Hades shushed him.

"Don't worry, I'm a fair guy. I will set his fate up so that the boy comes back to the beach a few times. That's why I have bound you," he banged on the wall behind him, light glimmering across the barrier as he continued, "To this part of the sea so you can't escape."

Phantom still didn't say anything, just glad that Hades was giving him a chance to prove himself, but at the same time frustrated that he didn't do the right thing and kill the human when he had the chance.

"Now," Hades continued, "I learned from my mistake with that redheaded freak Arista or whatever her name was." He waved her off as if he didn't care, which he probably didn't. "The punishment I set with her for disobeying me _obviously_ wasn't disciplined enough. She may have died quickly, but she died with no regrets and with that disgusting thing called happiness in her soul."

He poked Phantom in the chest with his sharp-taloned fingernail, "I'm not going to make that mistake with you. I will _not_ make it that easy." The humor in Hades eyes disappeared as his eyes turned an angry blood red, and no longer there was the good attitude he had, as if how Arisoul died was a personal insult to him.

"If you don't kill the child by sunset of the 365th day, I will turn you into a human." He snapped his fingers and suddenly Phantom couldn't breathe.

He looked down at himself in a panic to see his tail was missing and replaced with those horrifying legs that humans had. Immediately he started drowning, he had no idea how to keep himself up, he had no idea how to swim with legs. He couldn't breathe, couldn't talk, couldn't move anywhere but down as he started sinking. He looked up at Hades who was now a good few feet above him, looking down at the drowning human with an uncaring look. He knew he needed air, and by instinct, he looked up towards the surface as air bubbles floated up from his face. The surface was close yet so very far away...

Hedes snapped his fingers again and Phantom took a desperate breath in. That was by far the worst experience, no matter how brief it was.

"That catch is," Hades said as Phantom recovered from his shock, "you will be half human and half merman, and every time even a _drop_ of water touches you, you will turn back into a merman." Hades laughed as Phantom paled, "You can see the problem with that can't you?"

Phantom didn't speak, only thought about how primitive the human race was and how scientists would have a field day running tests and dissections to figure out Phantom's biology.

Merpeople were a thing of myth to them, and to prove that one existed by exposing himself their greedy eyes, while dollar signs floated around their heads was probably the most terrifying thing he would ever experience. He would be in their domain, completely at their mercy.

"Exactly," Hades said, "Such an interesting species; humans. They claim to protect endangered species on land and water, but the minute something as special and unheard of as let's say... _A_ _merman_ pops out of nowhere." He chuckled evilly and grabbed Phantom's chin roughly, "My my. You will certainly be very popular."

Phantom didn't say anything, he deserved this. He wasn't afraid, it would never get to that point, because he knew he would finish the job given the chance.

"Then I look forward to taking the boys soul the day you kill him." Hedes bid Phantom farewell. "And your 365 days starts ... Now." Hedes clapped his hands and vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg this chapter is super long and a lot of things happen in it.
> 
> PS. Yes Hedes is the charactor from Hercules. He's actually my favorite character of all time and I decided I had to include him in this, I couldn't resist with all the talk of Hedes throughout this fic.
> 
> Damn, almost 6k. Hopefully I make more chapters like this. I thought I was making this one too long but I kind of dig it.
> 
> *Secretly wishes for fannart*
> 
> I mean what ?


	14. Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

It's been four months.

Four fucking months that Phantom has been trapped in these shallows.

He had been fortunate enough to be able to hunt without being seen by the humans, and he had been slick enough to not be seen even when they were scuba diving. So far no one had seen him, and the other mermaids close by had no idea that he was there. 

Any human who had come looking for anyone that Phantom had hunted, always assumed that they either drowned or was eaten by a shark and gave up the search quickly. Phantom was very careful about who he took because he knew from past experiences that taking someone's son, daughter, wife, or husband equaled a search party, and he was tired of hiding from those. 

It would be so easy if he could leave the shallows and hide in the deeper part of the ocean, but Hades refused to allow him to leave the beach.

He had been waiting for his opportunity to find the boy and kill him for the past four months, but so far Danny hadn't returned to the beach. Phantom could always tell where the kid was; he could smell his scent for miles, but so far, the kid hadn't shown up to the beach.

The merman was getting restless, he needed to kill the boy, he was so tired of being bound to this beach. Sure he had stayed in the cove for a very long time without getting tired, but this was different. Back then, he was choosing to stay in the cove, but now he was being forced to stay on the beach like a human child being put in time out by a strict parent. 

It was annoying.

Phantom was currently resting behind a rock as he watched the mostly empty beach, a child was building sand castles and the only parent around was resting in her beach chair, their ugly little umbrella keeping their paper thin skin from burning. The spot he sat in was less than a foot deep, and his tail was the only thing in the water. He listened out to make sure no human would sneak up behind him and possibly see him as he stared and watched the beach and waited.

He knew today was the day that he finally got his chance, Phantom could smell Danny in the air, getting closer. 

To a creature that has lived for 3,673 years, four months isn't that long, but he had been given just one year to kill this kid, and these were the longest four months he had ever lived through.

Phantom watched as an unsupervised child around four years old got up from their spot building a sand castle, the mother too busy on her cellphone to notice. The child walked towards a hermit crab that was slowly making its way towards the water, its thin legs dragging its shell along with it. The little boy thought it was beautiful and interesting enough to follow because a moment later, he was stepping into the water after it.

Phantom's eyebrows rose, looking between the ignorant mother and the curious child with amusement. The child was walking toward him, getting closer and closer the more his giggling figure followed after the hermit crab. 

When the hermit crab got close enough, Phantom grabbed it by its shell and brought it up to his mouth. The child met his eyes as he bit into the crab with his sharp teeth and started chewing, the loud crunch being heard by both of them. 

The small boy looked thoughtfully at Phantom, his chubby cheeks rosy and his green eyes big, before he smiled happily at the merman. The child had very elementary thoughts, but he looked at Phantom's tail with such adoration and innocence that Phantom smiled toothlessly at the kid. It was not his intention to scare the kid, so he retracted his claws before he reached a webbed hand up and pet his blond hair gently. Glancing up at the kids still clueless mother as he swallowed the crustacean in his mouth, Phantom smirked. Such a stupid human, here Phantom was; the most dangerous predator in existence, petting the head of the most precious thing in the mother's short life. It was comical, really.

The small boy reached his small chubby hands up and cupped Phantom's face in his palms, and all Phantom could think about was how lucky this kids mother was that he wasn't hungry at the moment, or this child would make a nice little snack. Still, he allowed the kid to kiss his nose as he giggled and cooed at the merman's beauty, and the demon gently scratched under his chin.

Phantom handed the kid the now empty hermit shell and turned him around in the direction of dry land, back towards his mother. The merman watched as the kid laughed happily and ran back towards his mother, who stood up in shock when she noticed how wet her son was. It only just dawned on her that her son was able to get up from where she left him, go for a dip, and come back without her noticing.

They left after that, the mother too shocked and scared to allow them to stay any longer. The experience of possibly losing her son to the sea without even noticing because of her irresponsible lack of attention grating on her mind and making her paranoid.

Phantom knew Danny was now very close, his scent was getting stronger with every moment that passed by, and now that the beach was more vacated, it would be much easier to kill him without being detected.

After another hour of waiting, Phantom knelt down until the only thing out of the water was the top of his head and his eyes. He watched as a big van drove up and four people stepped out, including Danny.

No good, Danny's father was definitely straight, no way was he going to get away with hypnotizing anyone that stepped out of the car. Phantom's eye twitched in irritation. No matter, he was sure Hades planned on giving him the chance that he needed, he just needed to be patient.

Danny was with his friends, a boy, and a girl, both his age. The boy, an African American who's sexuality was unknown, and the girl who was lovesick for Phantom's favorite white boy. He couldn't see Danny yet, though he knew he was there. 

Danny hid behind the car, trying to work up the nerve to step away and look out to one of his favorite sceneries, afraid to lay eyes on the ocean for the first time in months.

"Danny?" Phantom heard the female say as she walked around the car towards the boy. "Are you okay? Do you wanna leave?"

Jack Fenton was getting the supplies out of the trunk. The beach towels, the umbrella, and the beach chairs looking so small in comparison to the father's large size.

The African boy walked up behind Danny and put a hand on his shoulder. Phantom could hear him admiring the shade of blue of Danny's eyes and the lightness of his skin within the privacy of his mind.

So, that's three he could hypnotize. Swell.

Phantom knew what Danny was going to say before he said it.

"No, I-I don't want to be afraid of it." Phantom knew the kid was fighting the immense fear that he felt for the vast ocean just ten feet away from where the car blocked his view.

When Phantom saw Danny, he was surprised to see that the kid had gained some of his weight back. He wasn't nearly as heavy as he was when they first met, but he didn't look like he was about to die from anorexia anymore. Danny's face looked less pale, and his eyes didn't look glassy and empty anymore, they were brighter and full of life now. 

Phantom tilted his head as he watched the kid sit in the sand as his friends got in the water and started splashing each other, knowing Danny had no intention getting even 5 feet close to the sea. He decided to watch the three teens as the fat man fell asleep in a beach chair. The girl and the African boy seemed to be very close, each of them yelling insults at each other while laughing and thinking about how amazing the day was.

Phantom stared at the girl, unsure why she looked so familiar, he felt like he'd seen her face before. It was going to keep him up at night. The short black hair against such a pale slender face along with the forest green bikini reminded him of someone.

Oh well.

Their names were Sam and Tucker, which he found out fairly quickly, and after half an hour of splashing around and enjoying the coolness of the beach against a hot day, they got out of the water. The siren watched as they approached the object of his obsession, who was staring out at the water wishing he was brave enough to join his friends in it, but PTSD kept him from doing so.

"Danny, we're going to get some ice cream, do you wanna come with us?" Sam asked the skinny boy.

Danny looked up at them and considered the question, he didn't feel like eating ice-cream and he also didn't want to leave the serenity that came from sitting in his spot in the sand. He had always loved the beach so much before the incident happened, and he honestly missed it.

"Nah, I'll wait for you guy's here." This was perfect, Phantom thought, Danny would be completely alone after they left. It was the perfect opportunity to lure him in and finish the job, and excitement started to shadow Phantom's eyes as he watched the teens shrug and leave.

With the idiot fat man snoring away in the chair, and the beach empty of witnesses, Phantom smiled and sunk into the water.

Danny was hugging his knees and looking out to the ocean, watching as the waved pushed and pulled against the sand. They were far away from the cove that haunted his nightmares, and he knew that the merpeople didn't hunt farther than the waters near the cove, so really Danny thought he shouldn't be so scared of the water. 

The merman creeping up on him begged to differ.

Phantom was still well out of sight, but he got closer to the boy, adoring how little he suspected Phantom's presence. It was laughable almost, four months later and here they were again, so close together, only this time he would not show mercy.

He peaked his head above the water, hiding behind a rock just a few feet from the edge of the beach. To be honest, he was excited to sink his teeth into Danny again, he truly was the best tasting human he had ever come across, and every human after him tasted much too bland for his liking. 

Phantom was surprised as he watched the boy get up and walk closer to the water, it must have been a spontaneous decision because the merman didn't expect it. The human stopped just far enough from the water to keep the waves from touching his bare feet as it pushed over the sand.

He was ready to kill him, had the boy right where Phantom wanted him, clueless and vulnerable and so alone. Phantom wanted to kill him so badly, he was so ready to be free of the curse that bound him to this part of the beach. He could almost taste freedom as he watched the boy staring down at the water, so very close. Phantom wouldn't even need to use his hypnosis at this point, the kid was just close enough that he could just grab him and drag him farther into the ocean so that he could do what he craves to so badly.

The boy took a few tentative steps into the water, just barely past ankle deep.

Phantom was ready to redeem himself.

So why did he do nothing but watch the boy after that? He allowed the stupid kid to enjoy his day and leave proud of himself for being able to step foot into the ocean for the first time since Phantom freed him.

He couldn't stop staring at the human's eyes, those damn blue eyes are what stopped him from dragging his ass down to the depths to tear through his throat. He had the fire back in his deep crystal blue eyes and it was more beautiful than he remembered.

Over the months, the same thing would happen. Danny would come to the beach, and Phantom would wait for him, and every time he would convince himself that he was going to do it this time for sure. Each time he was sure he was ready to do it, but the problem was every time he saw Danny again, he grew more and more hauntingly enchanting. 

The boy also would often think about him, and some of the thoughts would actually be fond. Which made Phantom huff in amusement, the kid still had feelings for him and the merman couldn't understand, why? Phantom had tortured him, starved him, isolated him, and abused him in every way physically and mentally possible. So what screw was loose in the kids head that Danny could still think he was in love with him?

It was after the seventh time he saw Danny that he decided it would be okay to procrastinate for as longs as time would allow him. He was too interested in watching the changes that become the boy every time he saw him. His growing attractiveness was too intriguing, and Phantom possessed the patients to allow time to go by.

He watched with a surprising amount of enjoyment as Danny went from the anorexic and scared teen he saw during the first visit, to the brave and beautiful creature that loudly verbalized his excitement as he windsurfed against the waves three days before the 1 year anniversary.

It was the final day, and the sun would be going down soon. Danny wasn't in his usual spot at the beach, but Phantom knew that he was close. So he followed the scent until he saw the boy on the end of the fishing dock, smiling out towards the sea with a calm look on his face.

This was it, this was his last chance or he would face the consequences that Hades chose to inflict.

Phantom swam to the pillar that held the doc up, it was covered in crustaceans and barnacles and smelled heavily of mold, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. He looked up, plotting how he would go about this. But then a new smell hit his nose and he looked over to see two large men making their way towards Danny, and all Phantom needed to hear was their thoughts to know that not only did these boys know Danny, but they were the farthest things from friends.

One of them was Asian and had black hair with a build that was heavy enough with muscle to crush Danny. The other one was German with blond hair and blue eyes with a similar build to the boy walking next to him. They both stared at Danny with an evil smirk on their faces, and Phantom's body shook with anger for reasons unknown to him.

"Hey look, Quan, It's Fen-toenail." The blond boy said, his voice more annoying than a small child whining for a lollypop, honestly how many steroids did this guy take? "All alone," the boy continued, "with no one around to protect him."

Danny's face lost its serene expression as he turned around, recognition and fear split across his face as he laid eyes on the two jocks standing between him and his only exit off the peer. "What do you want Dash, don't you think it's a little late in the day to be harassing me?" Danny said wit fully.

"I'd watch your attitude if I were you, Fenton, I just got a D on a test and now I'm grounded for a week. I am not in a good mood with you." Dash took a few steps closer to Danny, who visibly shrunk at the larger boys approach but kept his voice strong.

"Why do you come after me when you get bad grades? It's not my fault." He tried to match the volume and anger that the jock expressed in an attempt to make himself seem more intimidating. Phantom for the first time didn't laugh at the pathetic attempt, it was sad and nearly upset him to see Danny confronted by someone so much stronger than him.

What surprised him more though was how quick the jock was to punch Danny across the face. The boy was almost thrown off the edge of the peer at the force of the hit, and as he caught himself, blood dripped from his nose into the water 20 feet below. Phantom smelled it immediately and was immediately very hungry. He had been starving himself the last four weeks so he would be good and hungry this last day, so the temptation to spare the kid would me more resistible.

"I come after you because you deserve it, you fucking gay piece of shit." Phantom bared his teeth and growled lowly when the blond shoved Danny against the wall of the peer again. He could hear it creek from the abuse it was taking and he saw the look of fear flash across Danny's face. During the day and with friends, Danny was okay being in or around the shallow parts of the ocean. At night though? With the sun slowly disappearing behind the horizon in the distance? All alone with no friends or family to rescue him? He couldn't handle that. He was far from okay with that.

"You deserve to be wailed on, you shouldn't even exist." Dash spat and shoved Danny again when he tried to get away from the part of the peer that seemed to be unable to handle the force being shoved into it. Dash wasn't having it though, and he continued to punch Danny in the face. His friend's, Sam and Tucker, would be gone for at least another 20 minutes, they were too busy shopping at the gift shop and way out of sight to help him.

"You don't deserve to live, Fenton, people like you don't have a place in the world." Quan said as he punched Danny, completely clueless of the boards about to snap under the weight of the abuse.

Phantom continued to watch everything happen until realization dawned on him. Dash and Quan weren't going to stop until Danny fell off the peer, whether the jocks realized what they were about to do or not. Danny was going to be attacked until he was thrown down the 20 feet of distance between the floor of the peer and the surface of the water. The hight of the drop and the abuse he was taking along with the panic he would feel... it was possible that Danny would drown. It was clear his death day would be today whether Phantom made the decision to kill him or not. The only way Danny would make it out of this alive is if Phantom saved him, and that was the same as exiling himself.

This was Hades forcing Phantom to make a decision, and he knew it as soon as the jocks gave him one final punch and the wood snapped under the boy's weight. With a shriek of fear that Phantom hadn't heard the kid make since Samantha grabbed him while the merman was freeing the boy a year ago, Danny fell, hitting his head on one of the boards that fell from the peer with him.

Danny was unconscious and sinking and Phantom looked up with angry red eyes at the boys who looked at the broken wood in shock and horror. He watched as they babbled and tried to decide whether to jump in after him or run away and pretend that nothing happened. They chose the ladder and bolted off the peer, and Phantom started to swim over to where Danny was sinking.

The sun was about to disappear from the horizon, and the siren knew he had only a little time to finish the job before he would be punished by Hades. He swam till he was close enough to put a hand on Danny's full cheek, and he paused a moment to look at the boy. Bioluminescence was all that he needed to make out the boys features, and he saw when Danny's eyes cracked open. This would be the last time he ever got to adore those eyes again.

Danny was too disoriented from the abuse he took, plus the hit to his head, and the lack of oxygen to move much, so he wound up just looking right back at Phantom. He was expressionless, but Phantom knew the kid recognized him immediately, because though his thoughts were muddy and his vision was unfocused, he was clearly thinking about how pretty the merman was.

It was the warmth in Danny's eyes that finalized Phantom's decision, and as the last rays of light started to disappear from the sky, Phantom kissed Danny's lips softly.

...

"Your pathetic," Hades said angrily, his hair a bright red and his eyes narrowing down at Phantom, "you are so utterly pathetic that I don't even know what to say to you."

Phantom just sat in silence, five feet deep under the surface by the beach he left Danny on. He did not lower his head, or show any fear even as Hades turned red with rage. He would take his punishment with dignity.

"I gave you a year, Phantom. A whole year, and you fell in _love_." he spat the word out as if it was poison on his tongue

The merman opened his mouth, ready to defend himself that he felt no love for the human, but his god held a finger up, "Don't you dare try to deny what is clear to my eyes, I have been watching and reading you this entire year. You are feeling useless, pathetic, human emotions."

Phantom's mouth snapped closed, he didn't love the human, he just liked the way that he looked. Love didn't exist in his world and it never would, but shouldn't Hades know that already?

"You're an abomination, and you don't belong with the sirens." Hades pinched his nose and closed his eyes before looking down at Phantom.

The siren didn't drop his gaze, he would not cower, and he would take his punishment like a champ. It was all he could do at this point, he knew he would never hurt Danny as long as there was a breath in his body.

"You know what has to be done now, don't you?" In response to Phantom's thoughts, Hades said this calmly as if he was inviting Phantom to go mini golfing with him.

Phantom nodded slowly.

The god of the underworld gave the merman a regretful look, "It's really a shame, you have so much power." Hades sighed and rubbed the side of his face, "Goodbye, Phantom."

Phantom blinked, reality hitting him all at once. What was going to happen to him now? He would be human soon, he would have human needs, he would be in their world and at their mercy. Where would he stay? What would he eat? 

No matter how much fear he felt for his very unknown future, he couldn't bring himself to regret sparing Danny.

Hades snapped his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ... *breathes deeply*


	15. Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

Danny couldn't sleep anymore. It was the morning after what happened at the peer, and Danny had woken up at 6 am because of a nightmare. He had always been afraid of the dark when he was younger, but after he turned ten he had grown out of it. That is until he was kidnapped by Phantom at least. Now though, as he recalled the horrifying memories the nightmare had brought, he was forced to turn on the lamp by his bed. The sight of darkness, after waking up from such a cruel reminder of his experience, was maddeningly scary.

Unfortunately, after waking up screaming and being forced to turn on the lamp, Danny was too awake to even attempt to go back to sleep. So now at 6 in the morning, Danny had nothing to do but get out of bed and go downstairs.

Danny had told his father what had happened the night before, minus seeing Phantom. If he _did_ actually see Phantom; he may have been hallucinating.

He just told his father that Dash and Quan had beaten him so hard that they accidentally threw him off the doc, and he had to swim back to shore to get out of there and drive home with Sam and Tucker.

His father had been completely outraged when Danny explained what had happened, and not only had Jack chewed out Dash and Quan's family's on the phone, but he also told Danny that he was going to the courthouse early in the morning to make a claim. That was where he was now as Danny walked down the stairs into the kitchen, in desperate need of some lavender tea.

His mom had moved in with Vlad a year ago, and Jazz was still away at college, so he was in the house alone. Though the solitude was welcome after his father being protective and overbearing the whole year, he couldn't help feeling slightly put off. PTSD was a terrible, _terrible_ thing.

'Nothing good old lavender tea can't solve though', Danny thought as he put the tea bag in the hot water and added a little sugar.

He briefly considered calling Sam or Tucker and inviting one or both of them over, but he turned down the thought. It was too early in the morning, and they were probably both still asleep. He used to not care, too swept up in anxiety to consider their comfort when they continue to tell him he could call them whenever he needed them, but he didn't want to make them live like that forever. It had already been a year since he has been back home, and he needed to grow out of the anxiety as soon as possible. He needed to be stronger than that, and more independent, and learn to comfort himself in favor of his friends getting a good night sleep.

Danny turned on the TV in his living room and sat down on the couch, covering himself in a fuzzy blanket as he did so, and put on his favorite cartoon.

He wanted to work on his songs, but it was too early and he was too tired. He had many songs that were written and recorded with an automated singer going along to the music, but the auto recording brought the quality of the song down from where he wanted it to be. He enjoyed making music, and he loved it a lot, but he was too shy to sing them himself. So after he made the songs with garage band on his computer, he often just left them in a file. Nobody knew that he made them, and if he had anything to do with it, nobody ever would.

He sipped his tea and laughed when his favorite character on the TV got hit by his boomerang. Avatar: the last Airbender was by far the best cartoon in the world, and he had all three seasons on his playlist.

There was a knock on his front door, and Danny was shocked out of his tranquil state by the gentle tapping. He turned his head and regarded the door with curiosity, wondering who would be knocking on his door this early in the morning.

He figured it must be Sam escaping to his house again after her parents grounded her from her phone and put her under house arrest, so he got up and headed to the door. This happened a lot and Danny was just grateful that he would have some company, but Danny dropped his glass mug when he opened the door and saw who was occupying the front porch.

Shock made his heart stop briefly as his eyes met a pair of familiar green ones, and his mouth dropped open as his brain tried to process the number of questions running through it. Glass shattered around his feet, and Danny was only brought out of his shocked trance when hot tea splattered across his pajama pants.

"Youch," Danny exclaimed as he felt the water burn through his pants and onto his skin, but he wasn't distracted long as he looked back up at Phantom. The merman or the now _human_ Danny noticed, was looking at him with a strange look that Danny didn't know how to process. It was like a playful smirk but also it was like Phantom was in physical pain or something. Danny wished he knew what he was thinking.

"Phantom? What the heck are you doing here?" Danny whisper/shouted at the other boy as he yanked him into the house, looking outside to make sure his father hadn't come home yet before shutting the door harshly.

He turned back to look at Phantom, and it was only then that it registered that not only did Phantom appear to be human, but he was also naked.

Completely naked.

Danny blushed as he made a conscious effort to not look down as he waited for Phantom to answer. He waited patiently for Phantom to explain, but he wasn't getting anything in response other than a shrug. As if he was protecting some big secret that he didn't want Danny to know about. Phantom made a whole new meaning to a fish out of water as he stood there awkwardly trying to hide the fact that he was very nervous and scared.

Danny rolled his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm his sudden anxiety, but it was then that he noticed the smell.

Phantom reeked of fish and seawater, and it made Danny wince and hold a hand up to his nose. He decided he would worry about the _how_ later, right now he would just take care of the nervous human and look for answers after he was clean and had clothes on.

Danny definitely felt nervous to be around Phantom again, flashbacks kept flying through his head, and the fact that he didn't know what the other was doing there so suddenly wasn't helping his insecurity. None the less, he took pity on the lost look on Phantom's face and grabbed his arm to lead him up the stairs and into his bathroom. The white-haired boy was walking like he still wasn't used to the new limbs, so Danny could only assume that he had been human for only a very short time.

He started a bath and waited for the water to warm up, testing the temperature with his hand to make sure it was at a comfortable level. Until Phantom stopped him.

"I can't be in hot water." He said, "I'll get sick." It was the first thing that he had said to Danny, and the boy looked up at the green eyes to make sure that he wasn't hearing things. "Or die," Phantom finished.

Danny adjusted the temperature back to cold and waited for the tub to fill up, motioning for Phantom to stay in the bathroom as Danny went back into his room to get some clothes.

Phantom looked around, wondering if coming to Danny was the best option. He didn't know what to do when he first crawled on the beach, and it had taken him a while to learn how to walk. He decided the best thing to do was fallow the only thing that was familiar to him, the only thing that he knew for sure, and that was Danny's scent. He had followed it all the way up to the boys front porch, hoping that the kid didn't still feel any hostility.

He didn't know what else to do.

Danny came back with a pair of white pants and a thin black T-shirt and set them on the counter before helping Phantom into the tub.

Phantom looked down at himself nervously as he sat in the water and waited to see what would happen next. Danny turned away to grab the shampoo and conditioner off the shelf, but when he turned back to Phantom, he dropped both containers.

The ex-merman was suddenly a merman again, and his black tail was dangling off the edge of the tub, Phantom's eyes were glowing brighter and his teeth were once again sharp and elongated. Danny stared down at him, wondering what the hell the merman had gone through to not only change him so much but to make him express such fear on his face.

He decided it was best not to stare at the merman like that for too long, remembering how strong and prideful Phantom was. Danny figured the white-haired male would eventually feel better if he stopped acknowledging the obvious petrified expression marring his pretty face.

"Lean your head back," Danny said as gently as he could, unsure how stable Phantom was, the white-haired boy seemed to be panicking slightly. His face was paler than he remembered and he was a lot less witty and talkative than he was before.

'How long ago did this happen?' Danny wondered. It must have been very recent if Phantom still hadn't recovered from his shock. Danny remembered the night before, and once again questioned if he had really seen Phantom or not. If so, then how did this happen to the merman so fast, and why?

Danny poured some of the cool water on Phantom's hair, dragging his nails through it to make sure the strands were wet enough. He then grabbed the shampoo and worked the soap into the white hair covering the merman's head, glad when the strands became sudsy and slippery with the milk and honey wash.

"Do you want to tell me how you ended up on my front porch?" Danny asked as he scrubbed at Phantom's scalp with the tips of his fingers, rinsing out the dirty suds when he was finished and preparing to repeat the process with the shampoo and the conditioner, just to make sure that his hair was completely clean and healthy.

Phantom stared at his tail, the tub was cramped and uncomfortable, but he was just grateful to see his tail again. He felt like himself again, like the sight of his tail brought him comfort that he didn't know he needed. He held up his hand and was glad to see the familiar tan scales and the long talons on his webbed hands.

"Hades is punishing me, I'm going to have to live like this for the rest of my life." Phantom didn't elaborate on what Hades was punishing him for, but somehow Danny knew that the merman wouldn't answer even if he asked. Danny was amazed, did that mean that he had made it all the way from the beach to his front door completely naked? How the heck did he manage that? Danny had barely gotten by with a beach towel and shorts. Why did Phantom have to do that in the first place? What did he do to deserve this sort of punishment from the god of the underworld?

Danny couldn't help it, he had to ask, "Do you still have your powers? What exactly did he do to you?" he rinsed out the shampoo and conditioner from Phantom's head and grabbed the body wash and put it on a loofa. The merman was surprised at the amount of care that Danny was giving him, he hadn't even expected the boy to let him in the house, let alone take him up to his private bathroom and clean him.

"I still have all my powers, I can still read your mind, I can still get hungry for human flesh and all that good fun stuff that you definitely miss." Phantom's try at humor to calm himself in a stressful situation actually put a smile on Danny's face. It shocked the merman for a moment, he had never made Danny smile like that before. "The only differences are, I get legs when I'm dry, I'll age like a normal human, and I'm not allowed to return to the ocean ever, or Hades will kill me."

Danny blinked with wide eyes, again wondering what Phantom did, that was so bad, that Hades was punishing him this way. It could be anything. What was considered so wrong to the god of the underworld, someone who was considered Satan or the devil to most of America?

Phantom shrugged, and Danny wished that he could know what was going through the merman's head as he gently dragged the loofa across Phantom's shoulder blades. He went along with the scales to avoid hurting the merman as he did so and was extremely gentle, even though he knew the male had very tough skin.

As he cleaned Phantom, Danny examined the scales that decorated his body. Most of them were a light tan color, but there were small patterns of forest green scales that glimmered from the light. This wasn't the first time that he had seen them, but it was the first time that he actually took a moment to appreciate how beautiful the patterns were.

"I'm wondering how my life is going to continue now," Phantom said aloud, obliging to Danny's request to know what he was thinking, it was the least he could do. "I don't know where I'm going to stay, how I'm going to take care of myself, how I'm going to hide my true form from the humans, or how I'm going to eat-" Danny cut Phantom off with a shush, the raven had heard enough. He may not like Phantom very much, but Danny wasn't a monster, and he couldn't just allow the merman to sit there in that tub and fear for his future with so much terror.

"You can stay here," Danny said, "I'll protect you." The promise shocked Phantom, who didn't expect Danny to be so welcoming after everything that he's done to him. He actually paused and stared at Danny, waiting for him to announce the catch. There was probably some devious lot, right? Danny was going to treat him badly just like Phantom did to him, right?

Danny just looked back at Phantom, and the merman couldn't identify any malicious intent like he expected to see. Danny didn't smell like he was angry, nor could Phantom catch any dark thoughts running through his head.

... That meant he was serious.

"Why would you do that for me?" Danny had always been a strange human, Phantom could never understand how the raven could have thought he was in love with such an evil creature-who, by the way, had actively tortured him every single day for a whole 6 and a half months. He couldn't understand how in that entire time, Danny would rather kill himself than kill anyone or anything else, including Phantom. He especially couldn't understand now, why Danny would allow him-after everything that he has done to him-to stay under his roof. Why would Danny protect him? Why would he save him? Why would Danny treat him with so much respect and care?

He didn't understand.

Especially not when Danny just shrugged and looked at Phantom like the answer should be obvious, "You saved my father, and you let me go eventually. I seriously doubt you normally do that for humans, but you did it for me. You gotta feel _something_ for me, Phantom, even just a little bit."

Phantom's eyebrows scrunched in something that felt like a mix between confusion and denial. Why did everyone insist that he felt something for this brat? "But Danny," he said, "I _am_ a monster. I was not created to feel things like sorrow, or joy, or sadness, or compassion."

Danny regarded him with an unafraid and confident expression, and Phantom could smell that the boy wasn't scared anymore. As if he was absolutely positive that the merman wouldn't hurt him. How could he be so sure though? How could he trust the worlds most dangerous predator so easily?

"You feel anger. Don't you?" the boy asked, blue eyes staring down at Phantom with an unreadable gleam.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And you feel fear. Don't you?"

"Yes, but I don't-"

"Then you can feel joy," Danny confirmed, sounding so sure of himself, "and you can feel sadness, and pain, compassion, and even love." Rinsing off the suds from Phantom's body and pulling the plug to drain the water, Danny said, "You've just never felt them before, so you don't know what they feel like. Yet."

Danny was wrong, Phantom had felt sorrow before. He had felt sorrow, and regret, and sadness, and a couple other things that he hadn't cared to acknowledge at the time. What had this human done to him to allow him to be able to feel such human emotion? He was never supposed to know what any of that felt like, and none of this was ever supposed to happen.

The worst part is, Phantom wasn't even sure if he regretted that it _did_ happen.

"How do you know I won't try to hurt you?" Phantom asked, he knew he wouldn't hurt the boy, but he was curious to know how Danny knew that already.

Danny looked at him and smiled, "Because you're not stupid Phantom. This isn't the ocean, and I'm the only one who knows what you really are. What are you going to do without me, huh?" the smartass asked, "Live on the streets and hope it doesn't rain? Eat rats and hope you don't catch the plague?"

Phantom smirked, adoring the fire that burned in Danny. He had missed how witty the boy was, and he decided that Danny was definitely worthy of being a step above the merman. No one else would ever have this much power over him. "You got me," was all Phantom said with an amused smirk and a shrug.

The raven got up and grabbed a towel when the water finished draining and set it around Phantom's shoulders, he then looked Phantom up and down and the merman knew that the boy was contemplating how he was going to get him out of the tub. He decided to just grab around Phantom's torso and under his tail and pick him up bridal style to carry him onto the carpet in the bedroom where he could dry.

Danny left to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water with a sandwich full of turkey and lattice when he came back, Phantom was already dry and attempting to get up on his feet.

The human blushed when he caught sight of Phantom's human body again and made sure to avoid eye contact with his lower half as he went to the bathroom and grabbed the clothes that he had taken out. Hades may be punishing him, but he sure as hell didn't make Phantom's human body unfortunate.

Danny couldn't stop blushing as he got on his knees in front of Phantom while the merman stood and helped him into the pajama pants. Danny continued to ignore how great the other boy looked- and now smelled-as he stood and helped Phantom into the t-shirt.

Phantom could only smirk, and smirk wider when Danny tried to ignore the smirk. Danny then handed the sandwich and water to Phantom, explaining that the merman was human now and had actual human needs, and needed to eat and drink water.

Danny gulped when he saw the intense stare that Phantom was giving him, "Um," he stuttered, trying to ignore the hot shiver running down his spine, "I need to call Tucker and ask for a huge favor; you need more than just food and a place to live to survive in this world."

Danny walked to the other side of his room and picked up his phone from the table on the side of his bed. He opened it up and dialed Tucker's number, no longer caring how early it was in the morning, this was an emergency now.

Phantom took the time to look around at Danny's room, the boy obviously had an interest in outer space, and liked the color blue a lot. He took a seat on the bed and was surprised that he found it comfortable. All his life he had always slept underwater on a rock, and to allow himself to fall back on an actual human bed was like falling back and landing on a fluffy cloud.

"Tucker I need you and Sam to come over literally right now."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg smuts almost here. So excited, can't wait, but I'm loving the incredibly slow build lol.


	16. New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

"Man, you're my best friend," Tucker said to Danny skeptically as he put a hand on the raven's shoulder, "and you know I always got your back," the African boy stared at Phantom with a load of concern as the white-haired male stared right back, as if he was contemplating whether Tucker would attack or not. "But dude, you need to tell me where this stranger came from, and what he's doing in your room."

Sam got up from where she leaned against the wall and walked over to make the conversation more private, unknowing to the fact that nothing they said or thought was private around Phantom, "Yeah, and why does Tucker need to give him a fake identity? Can't he just go to the Dmv and get a state ID like every other person in America above the age of 16?"

Danny looked at Phantom carefully, unsure if it was safe to tell them. He knew that his friends would never betray his trust, and they would help him if he asked. He just wasn't sure how ready they were to know that not only was Phantom actually a merman, but he was also the very same merman that had kidnapped him.

"Uhhhh Ummm," Danny said nervously as he looked for a way to tell them, he had never been much of a scholar, but he was ashamed that all he could get out as a response to their questions was filler words.

'Just say it, Fenton,' Phantom said into his head, the sound of his voice in his skull was no longer familiar and it surprised Danny for a moment, 'I can hear everything they are thinking.'

Danny just nodded and looked back to his friends, "Guy's, I think I need to tell you what happened during the six months I was gone."

Sam and Tucker looked at each other, they had both been told by Danny himself a year ago that he didn't remember anything that happened. Now he was saying he needed to tell them, and all they could do was wonder what he had been keeping all that time, and why was he keeping it?

Danny took a breath, for some reason not feeling as much anxiety as he thought he would. It was strange; every time he had thought about what happened to him in the past, he had always started to feel like fear was going to suffocate him. Now though, there was plenty of fear, but it was more like his fear of spiders-they scared him, but he knew that he was much stronger than they were.

"So you know I'm gay, and Tucker told me that you all saw the mermaids attack the boat before I was kidnapped, and already know that the mermaids weren't able to hypnotize me like they did my Dad." Danny started, some of his words clustered together to get it out as fast as possible, he was a nervous wreck. He didn't even wait for them to nod, if they weren't following along to his rushed speech, then that was now their problem. "Okay well, there was one merman in the cove and he hypnotized me and took me down to his cave, and left my Dad behind for the rest of the mermaids.

"While I was down there, the merman fed on me whenever he got hungry. But he left me under the impression that my father was dead the whole time that I was there. I had to deal with the pain of not only losing my freedom and my dignity but also the death of my father and the reality that I probably wouldn't see my family or you guys ever again." It hurt to recall the pain and the memories that he had to go through during his kidnapping, but it was for a necessary cause. His friends listened patiently as Danny told a short version of the endless turmoil he had felt in the last year and a half.

"Not only did the merman eventually grow to like me a lot, and release me when he realized he didn't want me to die down in that cave, but I found out when I got home that my father had been alive the whole time. I knew that day that my dad hugged me in the kitchen, as I embraced the reality that I had never lost my father, that the merman had saved him before the other mermaids could kill him, simply because I asked." Danny walked over to Phantom, who was leaning back on the bed, resting his head on his crossed arms and staring at the ceiling. "Now the merman is sitting on my bed."

Sam and Tucker's eyes suddenly widened in shock and confusion and they immediately started yelling, "What the hell, Danny, what are you doing with a merman in your bedroom?!"

At the sound of their loud voices, Phantom's relaxed posture changed immediately to the defensive and he sat up to stare at the other two humans. 

"Guy's, settle down," Danny held up his hands to try and extinguish the sudden protective attitudes they were holding, "remember from my story, he isn't like the other merpeople, there's good inside him. He just needs us to give him a good kick in the right direction."

"How did he even get here?" Sam asked, "How is he even human now?"

Danny looked at Phantom, "I don't know. He hasn't told me much, other than he's being punished by Hades because of something he did. Now not only is he human, but he also has to live as a half human, half merman hybrid, and every time he touches water, he will pop a tail where ever he is at." Phantom didn't offer to elaborate on his predicament to the boy's friends, didn't even imply that he would let them in on why he was being punished. He wasn't going to, and they couldn't make him.

That didn't stop them from asking though, "Why are you being punished?" Phantom looked at Tucker with a sour expression, not willing to say anything. He didn't understand why the reason mattered, they just wanted to satisfy curiosity.

Tucker raised his hands like he was offended.

Danny spoke, "Tucker, try to remember that he is thousands of years old and was never particular about learning manners. We will help him learn." He did his best to defend the merman that sat on his bed, who didn't know anything about mutual give and take or common courtesy.

"Phantom, come on," the raven boy pointed at Tucker, "you need his help, the least you can do is respond in some way." He scolded, much to the merman's annoyment. 

Phantom huffed and tried to get over his irritation with his situation. Now not only was he relying on one human but two others as well.

How humiliating.

"It's not what I did," Phantom started, giving them the only explanation that he would allow them to have, "It's what I didn't do."

They all stared at Phantom for a good minute or two, waiting for him to elaborate, but when he didn't do so, Tucker rolled his eyes and shook his head. "All right fine, Danny thinks there is some good in you, so I'm going to do as he asks." He didn't look too happy to do it though, and Sam didn't look like she was all for it either, but they trusted Danny, and they were his friends. They were going to help because, and only because, Danny asked them to.

They started working out the plans of what Identity Tucker was going to give him.

They decided that it was best if he was the same age as Danny, 17 since he would be staying in the Fenton house and that he would be transferring to Amity high school for the rest of the 11th grade after being homeschooled for his entire life.

They also decided on a story; they had met him over the internet, he had originally lived with his father one town over, but he had left his house and escaped to Amity park when his dad became too abusive to live with. He wanted to stay with Danny just long enough for him to afford an apartment, graduate high school so he would never have to live with his father again.

That was the story they told Phantom that he would be telling anyone in high authority that asked. They made sure Phantom understood how important it was that he lived by that story and that he commit to it like it was glued to his back. If there was a hair out of place and his story didn't check out because of even one tiny slip of the tongue, then he would be having major identity problems with private investigators.

Tucker made sure to write down all the details, and when Danny brought up the fact that Phantom can't get too hot or he might die, the tech nerd made sure to write down severe Cholinergic urticaria as an allergy. This would make sure he was excused from any outdoor activities during the summer and protect him from getting too hot. They even gave him a different name, but they all cringed when the best any of them could come up with was _Dan Phantom_.

It would take a few days for Tucker to get Phantom's ID, his birth certificate, and the fake addresses that he needed in order to secure the merman's background. In the meantime, Danny made sure to hide Phantom in his room while he brought the news to his father and attempt to get him to agree to allow Phantom to stay.

The conversation went something like this:

"Hey, Dad?" Danny started as he walked into the kitchen and found his father eating fudge and a ham sandwich, "Can I ask for something really huge from you?"

Jack didn't even bother swallowing what was in his mouth before he regarded his son with a curious expression and said, "Sure son, what is it?" bits of bread and ham were spraying out of his mouth, but Danny pretended not to notice.

"Well, Dad. I have this friend that I've been talking to for a while now. I met him online and I've hung out with him a few times. He's really cool, but he's got a really big problem." Danny could feel a slight bit of anxiety creep up, what if this didn't go as planned? What if his father discovered Phantom in his room before they went through with their plan?

Concern morphed in Jack's expression as he waited for his son to elaborate, "His name is Daniel as well and that's actually how we started talking, but he's always been called Dan so there won't be any confusion when you meet him." Jack took a bite out of his fudge and drank from his Pepsi while he waited for Danny to get to the point.

"You see dad, Dan lives with his father right now, and he's very abusive. I've seen the bruises that he leaves, they are horrifying."

The father's eyebrows crinkled in more concern, he had never understood how a father could hurt their child. He himself loved his son and daughter more than anything in the world, and he would never lay a finger on them. He couldn't even imagine causing them physical pain, and he would rather die than hurt them. Yet here he was, watching the news every day as parents are arrested for abusing their kids in the worst ways imaginable. Now here his son was, talking about a friend that he has, that's being beaten up by his own father? He would never understand how some parents could be so fine with doing that to their kids.

"He has tried calling the police on his dad a few times, and the man has gone to jail, but he always gets out and winds up hurting Dan more." Danny continued with his horrifying explanation. "So, Dan asked me the other day if he could come live with me just long enough for him to finish high school and get his own place. It might take a while because his father never allowed him to get a job in the past, but he really needs help Dad."

Jack took a minute to process what his son was asking of him. Danny wanted him to take in a boy that Jack has never met before in his life, and allow him to stay under his roof? By the sound of it, it sounded like Danny would expect him to help keep this Dan kid's whereabouts a secret from father. Could he do that?

The man rubbed his face in his hands, what if he didn't help Dan, and his father ended up killing him? And how would it affect his son to have someone so directly related to him die by his father's hands? 

He knew he couldn't allow it to happen.

"All right son, he can stay, but I have two conditions," Jack started, holding up two fingers to count them off. 

"One: He has to be employed the entire time that he is here. I allow you to be an exception because you are my son and you've had a hard time lately, but I will not have _two_ unemployed teenage boys living under this roof eating my food." Danny nodded, but he flinched when he realized how hard it would be to get a teenage boy, with absolutely no experience, a job in Amity Park. 

"And Two:" Jack continued, "he has to be getting straight A's, or I'm going to start charging him rent. I will not have a slacker living under my roof for free, and I will not allow that influence on you either. You have been working hard, and doing very good in school, and I will not allow anything to change that."

Danny figured that shouldn't be too hard for someone who was thousands of years old. The raven may have to help him learn to write before he allowed Phantom to step foot in the school doors. He may also need to teach him some math, he wasn't sure actually, but it shouldn't be too hard for someone who was smarter than dolphins.

"Okay dad," Danny smiled and hugged his father, promising that Dan would keep to this promise as well.

"As long as he respects you and me, and does those two things, then I will welcome him in this house and treat him like family." Jack finished as he hugged his son back. "When do I meet him?"

Danny responded with a range of about a day or two, saying that Dan would need time to pack his things and sneak away onto a bus. He said that he lived in a town a few hours away, and it may take a couple days for him to get to the Fenton house. He also promised that despite Dan's background, he was actually a well put together teenager.

Jack would be the judge of that.

Phantom would have to stay hidden until all his stuff comes. Tucker said that he had hacked the DMV and the social security office and had put Phantom's identity into their system, so all the identification cards Phantom would be getting are all legit. Nobody would be able to tell that they were fake, not even the police themselves, and that was because Tucker had an itty bitty tiny little secret about Phantom's identity cards.

They were all real.

Currently, Danny was still hiding Phantom from his father, and they were both getting ready for bed. The raven had bought Phantom some of his own clothes a while ago because the merman's build was slightly bigger than his, and Phantom apparently had a much different style than him. 

While Danny liked wearing bright colored clothing that reflected how gay he was and how happy about it he was, Phantom had more of a punk- emo style.

He had the sleeveless hoodies and the chained black pants that brought his eyes out and called attention to his colorless snow white hair. Danny also remembered that as a merman, Phantom had enjoyed wearing jewelry, so he had gotten him a nice watch that matched most of his clothes. The raven had even taken Phantom to get ear piercings with black and silver studs and a few lime green diamonds, simply because he thought they would look good and suit Phantom well. Boy, was he right.

The merman looked like the stereotypical heartbreaker, but damn was he hot. Every girl they passed by couldn't stop giggling to their friends and staring at him. A few of them had even walked right up to Phantom and started flirting, and Danny's jaw had dropped in shock when the merman actually humored Paulina by licking his upper lip at her.

Danny's credit card had created a monster. 

Phantom had explained to Danny later that shopping day while sipping at a Dr. pepper from the nasty burger, that the girls were naturally attracted to him because of the Pheromones that he releases. As a natural predator, the pheromones he releases work to draw in his pray by infecting their brains and making them an easy target. Phantom had told him it was always easier to catch and kill his food when they came to him. Danny had even started to notice how much Phantom's scent drew him in.

Danny briefly wondered if his attraction was nothing more than these pheromones drawing him in like every other woman that they had passed that day out in public. However, as he recalled the whole year that he was away from Phantom, he threw off the worry. He had never stopped feeling an emotional attachment to the merman, even when they were miles away from each other for an entire 12 months.

That didn't mean that it was easy to sleep in the same bed with the sexiest person alive though. So far Danny had been able to resist those pheromones that Phantom insisted were there. Of course, he had morning wood every morning, but that was always quickly taken care of before Phantom could wake up and humiliate him.

Danny knew that Phantom could smell lust, so he made sure to always start doing his homework after he took care of himself. Algebra always had a funny way of sucking peoples souls away from them, riding the body of basic human emotions. Lust did not exist in the quadratic formula, and it was not even a factor.

So far Danny had gotten lucky because Phantom seemed to be one of those teens that slept until lunchtime. Danny usually woke up at 8:30, so he hadn't gotten busted with a hard-on yet.

But Danny was afraid his lust was well known one night when Phantom climbed on top of him and pinned his arms on either side of his face.

"Phantom?" Danny asked as he stared up at the glowing green eyes above him. The merman face was hard to make out in the darkness of his bedroom, and along with his lust, Danny was struck with passion and desire at the intense look Phantom had. "What are you doing?" He asked quietly and hesitantly.

Phantom leaned down so his face was in Danny's neck, taking in the boys scent. The ends of his white hair tickled the soft skin behind the raven's ear and Danny's breath became heavier. Phantom could smell everything, from Danny's natural scent to the smell of the desire rolling out of his pores. 

Silly boy.

"I'm hungry," was all that Phantom said before licking up the side of Danny's neck from his collar to his ear.

The raven's mouth opened in a silent moan at the feel of Phantoms tongue drawing little patterns on his sensitive skin. It was both liberating and terrifying to have such a dangerous creature giving so much attention to his very vulnerable neck.

"You wouldn't want me to feed off anyone else, would you?" Phantom was still so selfish, and Danny was momentarily dropped from the hight of his passion at the ultimatum uttered by his ear. 

"Just do it," Danny said, allowing some of his irritation to pour into his voice.

Phantom didn't seem to be bothered by the sound of Danny's anger, nor did the raven's irritation cause him to hesitate even a little. The merman just pulled off Danny's shirt and threw it somewhere on the bed, not bothering to pay attention to where it landed.

Phantom stared down at Danny's torso, the sight of it allowed him some enjoyment. He liked Danny much better when he couldn't count his ribs one by one.

The merman slowly dragged a soft hand up from Danny's stomach to grasp around his neck gently, feeling the muscles that now filled the raven's figure as his hand went up.

Danny was brought back to the sea of lust at the feel of Phantom's hand caressing him as if he was actually something that the merman adored with great passion. The body worship was something he had only dreamed of. He never thought that what he had fantasized about on lonely nights when he craved Phantom, would ever actually happen.

Phantom was actually a lot more gentle than he was when he was holding Danny captive. He even used his venom to sooth the wounds, which was something he had never done for anyone before. Phantom was actually shocked that he even did it, but he was grateful for Danny. He hated that he didn't know what he would do without the stupid kid, but the boy continued to surprise him with his generosity.

Phantom licked up the blood and smirked when he could smell how much Danny liked that.

So his boy was a little bit of a masochist?

How adorable.


	17. Student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

It was all official, Phantom was now a member of the United States. He had his Identification cards and all his ID's and is recorded as an emancipated adult living with the Fenton's. All of the proper paperwork had been completed, and Tucker was able to get it before the week was over. So not only had they been able to introduce him to Mr. Fenton with totally legit identification, and a concrete background, but they were also able to get him registered into the 11th grade at Amity High.

Danny could already tell school was going to be hectic for their little group now that Phantom was there, and it wasn't even because he was getting bullied, no.

Phantom made their school look like one of those cliche and dumb drama movies where the poor innocent socially awkward freshman had a crush on the hottest guy in school, who didn't know they even existed. The only plot twist though was the innocent freshman was none other than every straight girl and every homosexual guy in Amity high.

So far, it was only fourth period and Phantom has already had 10 phone numbers thrown at his head, and 4 home addresses slipped in his backpack. 

Danny had been there to see almost every girl that has walked up to Phantom asking for his name, and if he would want to go on a date with them. He had even been there to see Paulina when she ran up to Phantom and kissed him on the cheek before running away giggling, much to both boys annoyment. The girl always was one to leave a dramatic impression, for as long as Danny could remember, so it wasn't unexpected.

Even some of the female teachers seemed slightly distracted during class, but the male biology teacher seemed to be having the most trouble with Phantom's presence. 

Danny rolled his eyes every time Mr. Mac Donald said _orgasm_ instead of _organism_ , and all the raven could do was groan in annoyance, as the rest of the class laughed hysterically, when the teacher got to the part about homosapians and accidentally pronounced it like homosexual. Phantom didn't seem to be amused by any of this, but Danny was sure that he knew what those words meant.

While Phantom seemed to be completely chill about roaming the halls despite the drooling animals all around him, Danny was doing everything he could to avoid getting stuck in certain crowds. His father had filed a lawsuit against both Dash and Quan's families, and now Danny had been doing everything he could to avoid both jocks for the whole week since the incident on the peer.

Phantom, though he didn't say much about Danny's behavior, found it annoying that Danny was so afraid of two dumb humans. He couldn't imagine why someone so smart, who possessed so much dignity, would be so afraid to walk the hallways. Danny was acting like a chicken trying to run away from a butcher, only without a head. It had been funny that morning, but now Phantom just wished Danny would get his damn books and go to class and stop walking around like a ninja on a mission.

Right now Phantom was walking with Danny as the kid made his way to his locker, Sam and Tucker had a different class so they were nowhere in sight. This was Phantom's first day, so he had no idea where his next class was, which was the only reason he was still walking next to this dumbass. Otherwise, he would have been long gone and left Danny to his demise.

"How long are you going to keep hiding from that couple of retards?" Phantom asked, holding his own English books in his arm and regarding Danny with a semi-annoyed scowl.

Danny nervously unlocked his locker and put his biology book away, grabbing his English materials as he answered, "I'm not hiding," the raven insisted defensively.

Phantom's eyebrows rose in skepticism, he gave Danny a half smirk and responded sarcastically, "Yeah, and I have never _once_ been tempted to eat you alive." A familiar scent filled his nostrils, and curiosity invaded his brain as he glanced behind the kid in denial. Now he _really_ wished he had popcorn.

Danny side glanced the merman and gave him a salty look, "I don't know what you're talking about, Phantom. I'm not hiding from anyone." He shut his locker, completely unbeknownst to the truck about to hit him in a few seconds.

"Oh really," Phantom said sweetly, excited to witness what was about to happen. The drama was his guilty pleasure. "Then I'm sure you're okay with the fact that Dash is right behind you, right?"

Panic made the blood drain from Danny's face and he squealed in fear as he prepared to run away. It was too late though, as Danny soon found out because the blonde jock grabbed Danny by the back of his shirt and threw him against the lockers before the raven could go anywhere.

The roughness Dash expressed as he handled Danny made Phantom's eyebrow twitch, but he just crossed his arms and leaned against the raven's closed locker.

Danny's eyes were wide as he did his best to hide his face behind his long bangs, but he couldn't hide the obvious fear on his face.

Phantom laughed internally at the thoughts running through Dash's head. The bigger kid was trying hard to deny the fact that he liked the way that Danny looked, insisting to himself that he was loyal to his girlfriend, Paulina. He was practically repeating a mantra in his head, "I like pussy, not ass." 

Dash could try and brainwash himself all that he wanted, but he couldn't fool Phantom, no. The merman could smell the amount of desire that Dash had for his favorite white twink.

"Fenton!" Dash started yelling, drawn the attention of some of the surrounding peers, "Your father better not file any lawsuits against my family!" he lifted the smaller boy up off the ground by the collar of his shirt and yelled in his face.

Danny started kicking the wall behind him, trying to get out of the jocks grip, "What do you want from me Dash? You literally almost killed me, I could have died that night." Phantom was impressed that he was able to keep his voice steady and strong even though the amount of anxiety currently corrupting his heart and poisoning his scent.

"You could have kept your mouth shut." Dash tried, "You made it out alive, you didn't have to say anything." Dash dropped Danny just so he could punch him hard in the stomach, and the smaller boy hissed in pain when the blonds giant fist made contact with his muscleless gut. Danny sunk to the floor holding his stomach and Phantom's eyes flashed red. 

He felt sot of... _possessive_. 

He shrugged, guessing that he was the only one allowed to hurt Danny.

"My family said that if your father files against us, it will be _me_ paying for it. High school is supposed to be the best years of my life, it's all downhill for me after graduation. How am I supposed to enjoy my glory days paying for a stupid lawsuit?!" Dash took advantage of Danny's position on the floor and kicked him in the side, and the raven grunted in pain as he banged his head on the locker. 

Phantom knew just by smelling Dash that the aggression he had was just a side effect from the steroids infecting his blood. The drugs made him smell foul and caused him to be undesirable as a meal, but Phantom was almost willing to make an exception as he envisioned himself tearing the blond's throat out. 

The merman looked around just to see how all the other students were taking these events, and was not surprised to see that they were only crowding around them in a circle for the purpose of recording the whole encounter on their phones.

How predictable.

Dash bent down and dragged Danny up by the hair, preparing to punch the poor kid again. Phantom thought that Danny has had enough though, and before Dash could bring his fist down on the boy's eye, the merman finally did something.

He grabbed the jock's fist and twisted it much farther than it was capable of going, enjoying the loud satisfying crack and the scream of pain that sounded, and flipped the 200-pound football player over his shoulder. When the blonde landed on the ground, Phantom twisted his wrist the other way and locked the jock's arm in an awkward position so he couldn't move, relishing the sound of Dash's shocked gasp of pain as the merman stomped his heavy shoe on the boys back to hold him in place. 

By the time all this was done, Dash was laying on the ground with his face planted in the tile, with his arm extended behind him. Phantom had positioned the jock in such a way that he couldn't get out of without the white-haired teen releasing his probably fractured wrist. He was definitely feeling possessive of Danny.

Danny stared wide-eyed at Phantom as if he needed to take a moment to confirm that it was actually the same selfish merman that he had been taking care of for the past week. He couldn't believe that Phantom had been that rough with the jock. He figured Dash would have stopped eventually, so it wasn't as if Phantom _needed_ to intervene. To be honest, Danny was surprised that the merman had done anything at all.

"Phant- I mean, Dan!" Danny clutched his side, which still hurt, as he put a hand on Phantom's shoulder, and the raven flinched when the merman side glanced him. He looked so _angry_ , angrier than Danny ever remembered seeing him. 

"You need to let him go," Danny said looking around at the scene that the three of them had made, knowing that this would be all over the internet before they could even get to the end of lunch. He could see the headlines now, "Big buff football player gets thrown to the ground by a small teenage boy after the jock beats slightly smaller teenage boy."

So much for keeping Phantom in a low profile.

Phantom released the blond jock, who was squirming underneath him and allowed Danny to gather their things and get them away from the gossiping students in the hallway. They would most likely be called to the office, but Danny just wanted to get them away from all the interested eyes.

Just like Danny predicted, both he and Phantom had been called to the office, where they were forced to sit in the same room with a very angry looking football player for a complete five minutes before the principal entered the office. She had given all three of them, much to Dash's shock, detention for the entire week in Mr. Lancer's room and had called Jack and Dash's father in for a conference after school.

After the conference, and after Mr. Fenton had just had a stiff talking to with Dash's father, all three of them were on their way to their Mr. Lancers. Both dads were angry at the events, mostly at Dash, however, who had made the situation with Danny so much more serious. Jack had been livid when he heard what Dash had done, and though he had been happy that Phantom had thoroughly ended the fight, he wasn't too happy with the young adult for making things worse. 

Danny now sat in between Dash and the merman, in Mr. Lancers class, while the out of shape teacher clipped his toenails in the most mortifying way possible. Danny couldn't keep the horrified scowl off his face as his throat started to close up. Why couldn't he look away?

Finally, his wish for something to tear his gaze away was granted when something hit him in the head and landed on the desk in front of him. He looked down, and his brows crinkled in confusion when he caught sight of the crumbled up note in front of him. He glanced to his right at the bully sitting next to him who was smirking in satisfaction. 

His head told him that it was a bad idea and to not to look at the note, but he did.

 _" **When your pimp is raping you for being late for pole dancing, tell him I said hi.** " _Dash's handwriting was scratchy and large, but the message was clear. 

Danny angrily crumbled it up again and threw it somewhere behind him, not bothering to allow himself to feel upset over Dash's poking.

Phantom could only attempt to contain his laughter when Dash's comment backfired; the jock couldn't get the image of Danny _actually_ pole dancing out of his mind for the next ten minutes after that.

Danny side glanced Phantom and wondered what his problem was. The white-haired boy was covering this mouth and staring at him and Dash with so much amusement, that Danny could only wonder what was going on in his head. That is until another paper hit his head and landed on the desk again.

This time Danny just glanced at it and brushed it off his desk, he didn't care to know what kind of snide and evil comments the bully decided to abuse him with anymore.

Phantom was curious though, he knew what Dash had written, but the terms that the boy used were so vulgar and dirty that the merman hardly knew what the boy was trying to say anymore. 

What was dong? What was rape? What was pimp?

He decided it was time to make use of those stupid computers that the human race had felt the need to create. So, when he and Danny got home that day, researching was the first thing he did while the raven-haired boy hopped in the shower. 

Danny had already taught him how to use the keyboard, insisting that it was something that Phantom needed to know if he was going to be going into high school, so Phantom had already learned all the keys and the proper way of pressing them. He had also conveniently been taught how to search on google, which was the first place he looked when he typed in the search bar.

"What is a dong?"

The pictures that he saw didn't shock him at all; he had seen many penises in his life. Though he didn't understand why the human race felt the need to give the little appendage so many different names. Why couldn't they just stick with _penis_? Or genital? Were things like "dong," or "dick," or "Mr. Pee body," really the best the humans could come up with?

He searched up rape next and was slightly disgusted with the search results that pulled up. He already knew now what rape was apparently, as he had seen many women get 'raped' in the life that he has led. 

He smirked when he remembered all those men had been eaten alive. 

It wasn't until he got to an explanation of what masturbation was, that Phantom actually opened his jeans and looked down at his own appendage curiously. So if he touched that, or let someone else touch it, it was supposed to feel good?

He shook his head, thinking the idea ludicrous, and closed his jeans again. 

He clicked on one of the recommended links that said, "what is sex?" Of course, he knew what the word meant, but maybe this google search would answer some unanswered questions for him. However the link that he clicked on was a video between a man and a woman, it played automatically and Phantom cringed a little at the sound of the woman's fake moans. 

The sight was something named porn.com, but that's not what caught his attention, it was the category button. He clicked it and was amazed at the number of categories there were, what kind of sick and pathetic lives did the humans lead to having so many? It was disgusting really, especially when there were so many thumbnails of the nasty looking woman with sad or desperate looks on their faces.

Something caught his interest though, it was the "boy's love" category. 

More images appeared when he clicked on it curiously, and when he clicked on a video and saw how much fun the gay couple was having, Phantom decided to go back to google.

With renewed interest, Phantom typed in, "Why does sex feel good?"

He came across multiple articles and yahoo answers that thoroughly gave him an explanation to why sex with girls felt good, but that wasn't what Phantom was interested in.

Danny had been expressing a desire for him, and Phantom had seen many instances where men had sex with other men, and they had appeared to enjoy it. If sex was as fun as the articles made it out to be, then he might be interested in trying it out. He was human now after all, and might as well, right? 

Danny was obviously interested if the lust rolling off him every night was anything to go by, and Phantom personally didn't have any interest in the woman that came onto him. So if it was possible for it to still feel as good with other men, then he wouldn't mind using the raven; it would be a win/win.

He started searching about homosexual relations and was intrigued about what he found. The articles were very descriptive and informational, and the videos were graphic and clear. 

Phantom put a hand on his mouth and rested his elbow on the desk as he took in all the new information. However, when he heard the water shut off in the bathroom, Phantom closed out all of the windows and turned off the computer. 

His own bath was quick, and Danny had already taught him how to clean himself, so no help from the raven was necessary anymore. As soon as Phantom finished cleaning himself, he drained the water and waited for the tub to be empty, before grabbing the towel and drying himself off. 

Danny was in bed asleep when Phantom walked back into the room, and the merman stood at the foot of the boy's bed to stare at Danny for a moment. It would be strange to do this, due to the fact that he had never put any effort in humoring Danny's desire for him, but he was willing to try it at least once to know what all the hype was about.

It was time to experiment.

The raven was on his back with his head tilted to the side, and the blanket was barely up to the kid's stomach, so Phantom could see the outline of Danny's upper body under his flimsy black undershirt. Admittedly, Danny's body had always drawn Phantom in a little, but only when it was healthy and beautiful the way it was now.

When the merman dropped the towel, he climbed on the bed, crawling up from Danny's feet until he was supporting himself above the raven's body, quietly, so as not to wake the kid up. The black V-neck that Danny wore exposed his neck and collar bone, even a little bit of his chest, and Phantom was surprised when he felt the temptation to kiss every inch of his skin. 

He looked so _delicious_ like he could eat Danny right up, but the merman had no desire to feed on the boy. 

Phantom leaned down and allowed himself to indulge in the strange new need that he suddenly had, planting a gentle kiss on the side of Danny's neck. It wasn't enough though, and suddenly there was a fire burning, erupting from that tiny _teasing_ kiss, that had only allowed him a small taste of what he wanted.

Phantom licked at the soft skin as he sucked small kisses up the side of Danny's neck, leaving a wet trail as he went, but it still wasn't enough. 

Danny suddenly woke up at the feel of a hand slowly running up his stomach over his shirt, and he gasped when the tongue on his neck registered in his sleepy brain. Phantom's hand dragged up a pool of fire that lit every sensitive nerve in Danny's body as it made it's way to his wrist, and pinned it above his head. The raven's breath became heavy, and his eyes hooded, as lust fell over him so fast that it was as if someone had poured a bucket of liquid passion over his body.

"Phantom? What are you- ah..." He tried to ask, breathlessly, as the merman started lifting his shirt with the other hand, sucking a trail across his collar bone and leaving small red marks. Danny's heart started pounding hard as he wondered how things had escalated so quickly, but a hard suck at a particularly sensitive spot somewhere between his neck and shoulder hushed his thoughts.

Danny's hips started to squirm and his fists started clenching and unclenching as his brain became muddy and dizzy, "Phan- _Oh_..." the attention his neck was getting felt too good to think anymore.

When Phantom finally kissed his lips, it was like Danny suddenly had the whole world in his hands, as cliche as that sounded. He didn't remember what it felt like to be apart from Phantom, and he never _wanted_ to remember. He didn't know when he wrapped his free hand around Phantom's shoulders, but he never wanted it to move from that spot. He didn't think he would ever get over how good the merman felt under his fingertips, with his smooth skin and lean muscles. 

His lips were so soft, that they captivated him. His smell was bewitching him with every passing momentin the evilest and exhilarating way possible.

Phantom was in every way, shape, and form, devilishly  _alluring._

 _"Just tempt me, demon."_ Danny thought lasciviously as Phantom brushed his thumb across one of Danny's nipples.

Phantom smirked and licked a trail down the underside of the raven's jaw. He sucked his ear lobe and whispered lowly, _seductively_ , as goosebumps rose on the kid's neck, "No problem."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Guess what....
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> There's smut next chapter.


	18. Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys. wow, I've had a long week. So, I'm not going to put my whole life story on Archive of our own, but bottom line, I live with my grandma because my mother doesn't make smart choices. Recently she went missing and my grandma filed a bunch of missing persons and police reports, I could hardly eat, and I couldn't even write for a while. But then we found her, she's okay, so I'm okay and I am now, once again, eating two different dinners.
> 
> A few people are missing creepy Vlad, luckily I had planned on having a little of him in this chapter, so this should satisfy you until the real shit happens lol.
> 
> This chapter is mostly porn, but there is a lot of plot in here, so it does have value for the rest of the story. That's the best kind of porn.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

Vlad sat in a chair and pet his cat as he watched the live video feed. Danny was in the bathroom with that white-haired boy that had shown up naked on his porch. The stranger was somewhere in the tub, just out of sight from the camera, but Vlad watched Danny as he washed the patch of white hair barely peaking out on the screen.

Indeed, Danny had finally finished recovering from the horribly ugly anorexic state he was when he first came back. When the boy first came home, he was too repulsive for Vlad to even look at, let alone plan to ravish.

Vlad smirked as he watched the kid concentrate on washing the stranger's hair. 

Now though, Danny was back to his normal teasing, beautiful, and  _tempting_  appearance. And Vlad was getting restless as he watched a pink tongue flash out to wet a pair of full lips.

No matter; Christmas was in a couple months. He knew that no matter the differences between the Fenton household, and himself and Maddie, there would always be a holiday truce for the kid's sake. He would see Daniel very soon.

Vlad watched as the naked stranger was taken out of the bath, covered in a towel. Why Danny felt he needed to carry the other boy out of the tub was beyond the elder, but Vlad continued to watch as Daniel went downstairs to cater to the new boy's needs. Meanwhile, the stranger, the very attractive stranger Vlad noticed, got out of the towel and stood up naked just as Daniel was coming back. 

Who was this boy? Vlad had never seen him before. 

Daniel seemed to know him very well though, so they must be friends.

They knew each other _very_ well, it seemed when Vlad saw a couple days later that the stranger was ravishing Daniel's body. He only wished he could have a better view. Both boys were very good looking, and Vlad decided he would love a piece of both of them.

_..._

_"Just tempt me demon."_ Danny thought lasciviously as Phantom brushed his thumb across one of Danny's nipples.

Phantom smirked and licked a trail down the underside of the raven's jaw. He sucked his ear lobe and whispered lowly, _seductively_ , as goosebumps rose on the kid's neck, "No problem."

The merman picked Danny's shirt up higher, and the boy sat up to allow it's removal, blushing hard when he realized that Phantom was naked as the day he showed up on the front porch.

What brought this on? Danny wondered. Why was Phantom suddenly acting so-

" _Oh_..." Danny breathily moaned. His thoughts hitting a dead end when the merman leaned down and licked at one of his hard nipples, the little pink bud rising to meet the tongue that ravished it. Phantom continued to lick and suck at the cherry bud while he pinched the other one between his thumb and pointer, intrigued by the reactions he was getting from the kid.

Phantom felt his dick harden at the sound of Danny's quiet moans, and the merman fell into a funny headspace as he did everything he could to hear more of those noises. To hear more of Danny's sharp intakes of breath. To learn what spots the raven liked most, and what spots seemed to be particularly sensitive. He couldn't take his lips off the kid's body, let alone stop touching him. Is this why humans liked sex so much? This primal instinct, this feeling of a feral _need_ to ravish Danny until he couldn't remember anything but how Phantom makes him feel, was taking over every cell in his brain.

Danny's hips were squirming underneath him, and the boy's thoughts were slowly being drained of any and all reason as if the only thing the raven could register in his head was _Phantom_. Going was his inhibition, leaving was his resolution, and in their absence came the desperate _need_ for the merman's touch. The tongue caressing and sucking across his chest and down his stomach was hypnotic, and the hands gripping his hips as if to hold him down and _force_ him to keep still was tantalizing.

Hands moved from their place scratching patterns across Phantom's broad shoulders, up into the white hair that fell like a cascade of water from the merman's scalp.

Phantom growled when Danny's hands clenched on the strands between his fingers, and his hands tightened on the human's hips. Though the sound didn't register to anyone as a threat, and did nothing but give Danny a thrill that he didn't know he needed. Phantom oddly didn't know that a little pain could make him feel so driven, so _salacious_.

Something wasn't right though, Danny realized, something was missing.

The merman got up and removed the blanket covering Danny's body, dragging his hands up the kid's thighs and hating the fabric of the pants that separated him from the skin he wanted to feel.

It was when the cold of the air around them overpowered the heat from Danny's body, did the boy wake up, and realize what was going on.

He couldn't do it like this.

Danny wanted _more_ with Phantom, and while he was putting all the love and affection he had for the other into what they were doing, the merman didn't seem to feel _anything_ like what Danny felt.

Phantom was obviously experimenting, and though he was honored that the merman chose him instead of some random girl, he couldn't help but feel like he was being used.

His eyes widened and he sat up nervously, "Phantom? I-I don't think I can-"

Phantom knew what Danny was going to say, and he quickly shushed the raven with a gentle kiss that he knew would throw his thoughts off. He was already getting into this, and he knew Danny would have fun if he just allowed Phantom to do what he wanted.

The kiss did distract, but only for a moment, before Danny broke away and vocalized his disagreement, "Phantom, I can't do it like this." He didn't want to be used; if Phantom wanted to have sex with him, then the merman needed to want him as much as Danny wanted him.

"What's the matter?" The merman purred, putting as much sultriness into his voice as he could, "don't you want this?" He already knew the answer, Danny couldn't lie to him; he could smell it all over his body, and could even taste it on his skin. It made his mouth water and the burning inside him burn harder.

"I do," Danny said softly, uncertainty, as Phantom continued to use seduction to try and change his mind.

The merman braced his hands on either side of Danny's hips and leaned in to lick the shell of the raven's ear, "Don't you want me to fuck you, good and hard?" He took advantage of his position between the human's legs and ground his hard erection down on the bulge hiding in Danny's pants.

Danny threw his head back and moaned loudly, both at the heat in his ear as the merman spoke such dirty words, and at the friction on his needy crotch. The pleasure was so sudden and so intense that it threw Danny off, and for a second he couldn't remember why he was refusing to let Phantom take it further.

"No," he choked out, putting a hand on Phantom's muscly chest, stopping him from getting any closer, for fear of him completely losing his mind to the lust that threatened to possess him. Damn this demon for being so tempting. "I won't let you fuck me just yet."

Phantom started to lean away slowly, disappointed. He wasn't one for rape and, for the moment, he didn't feel like hurting Danny, so he wasn't about to force him. He could just hypnotize him, but that didn't seem smart, as most human's seemed to value their virginity, including Danny it seemed. He didn't want to make his only salvation angry enough to hate him and kick him out unprotected on the streets.

Before he could get too far though, Danny grabbed his chin and forced the merman to look at him. Green eyes glowed in the dark as they stared back at ice blue ones.

"I won't let you fuck me," Danny said again and kissed his lips softly, "but I'll let you make love to me."

Phantom's eyebrow scrunched in questioning, the research he had done didn't explain how to do that, and he didn't believe in love so it wasn't as if he could improvise. "Danny," he said in between the kisses that the raven was planting softly, "I don't know what love is."

Danny kissed Phantom harder, gently pushing the merman backward on the bed until the older was laying down. "Let me show you," the raven whispered as he untied his pajama pants and slipped them off. He never bothered with wearing underwear to bed, so in no time Danny was straddling Phantom's hips, petting his hair as he kissed the merman deeply.

Phantom felt chills run down his spine for the first time ever. It was the feel of the hands in his hair, and the passion that Danny seemed to be an expert at transferring in his kiss, that made him feel those hot tingles. He didn't know he was capable of feeling that. _It's a nice feeling_ , Phantom thought, as he shut his eyes and gripped the hips that seemed to be made for his hands.

Phantom dragged his hands up from Danny's hips to his black hair, being sure to feel every dip and curve along the way. The boy's skin was incredibly soft, the damage from being under the salt water of the sea for over half a year has healed perfectly. Phantom thumbed the bruise that the bully had left on the kid's side and burned with anger a how swollen and _hurt_ it was. If he had anything to do with it, nothing would ever damage this skin again.

Phantom's eyes cracked open in shock at that thought, before shutting again when Danny slipped his tongue in his mouth. He couldn't tell anymore; is this kid a stupid, senseless, creature that _dared_ invade him with these petty _feelings_ , or is he a beautiful, _priceless_ jewel, that is slowly teaching him how to feel these incredible emotions?

Passion, desire, and... _love_ mixed with Danny's scent and corrupted Phantom's nostrils, and for the first time, he would give anything to feel the way Danny does.

Danny's hand dragged down Phantom's neck, his fingers making goosebumps rise everywhere they touched, to lay over the harshly beating heart pounding through the merman's chest. "You feel that?" He asked in a whisper against Phantom's lips.

Phantom breathed and leaned up to reattach their lips together, wanting to growl when Danny refused, "I don't know what I'm feeling." He said quietly to the raven, wanting nothing more than to taste those lips again. It wasn't a lie, the feeling in his chest was pleasant but unfamiliar.

"What does it feel like?" Danny peppered small teasing kisses on Phantom's nearly begging lips.

"It feels, _warm_." He started, finding the feeling difficult to describe. It was like trying to put a cube in a triangle shaped hole. What were 19 languages good for if he couldn't even describe one simple feeling? "Almost painful, but it also feels nice. It has everything to do with you, and I know that, because I look at you, and it burns. I want you, and I don't even mean that with my dick," Danny blushed, "and its like if I don't have you, I may just go completely insane." He gently clawed down Danny's back, enjoying the feel of having the kid so close. What is this brat doing to him?

Danny was smiling at him with this goofy, overly happy, toothless smile. It looked beautiful on him, but Phantom rolled his eyes. Despite this, butterflies fluttered in Danny's chest. That was the most romantic thing he had ever heard, and coming from someone who had never felt what was described before, it meant everything to Danny.

The boy kissed him fully again, and Phantom sighed at the feel of the raven's soft lips pressing against his. When Danny started slowly and progressively rocking their hips together, sort of dancing on top of him, Phantom was shocked at how good it felt. He couldn't tear his hands away from Danny's hips as they ground against him, let alone force himself to stop feeling as though he was on fire. What power did this kid have over him to keep him from being able to control himself? He felt winded, powerless, mortal as Danny rubbed their erections together.

Danny broke the kiss, and his slow rhythm on Phantom's hips, to reach over on the nightstand and grab a bottle. While he did so, Phantom noticed that reaching for the drawer had brought a pink nipple right up to his face, so he licked it and smirked when Danny hissed in pleasure.

Phantom watched, his eyes probably a deep blood red, as Danny prepared himself. None of the diagrams, descriptive content, pictures, or even the _video's_ had prepared him for just how erotic it was to watch Danny touch himself that way. To watch the raven's fingers slip inside himself while he hovered over Phantom was by far the hottest thing he had seen in his life. To see his head fall back as breathy moans passed through his soft full lips while hearing his slick fingers as they pushed in and out of his little hole as he stretched himself... It made him grip the boy's hips just a little harder. 

Anticipation and desire built up in Phantom, so when Danny finally decided that he was ready, the merman sat up to circle his arms around Danny and hold him closer. Danny didn't object as he crossed his arms behind Phantom's head and lowered himself down. The initial feel of such a wide stretch hurt more than Danny was prepared for, but the pain didn't stop him. Especially not when he noticed that, in shock at the great feeling, Phantom had started shaking and buried his face in the raven's neck. 

Not knowing what to do with his hands anymore, Phantom fumbled and breathed harshly, doing everything he could to not lose control and fuck the fragile human's brains out. He never imagined that being inside a human like this would feel so fantastic, so liberating, so _exhilarating_.

It made Danny feel powerful to know that he was the one introducing this to Phantom and to have complete control over what was happening. He knew that at any moment, the merman could very well flip them over and then have his way, but he hasn't done that yet, so Danny felt empowered to know that he, and he alone, could tame this beautiful and lethal creature.

Phantom groaned when Danny sat down completely, putting him as deep as the merman could possibly go. Sparks flashed behind his eyes as he started sucking on the skin in his face, which happened to be the little crevice where the kid's shoulder met his neck. Danny allowed his head to fall back again as he took a moment to adjust to the stretch, he felt free, complete, and also deliciously rebellious to be doing this in his father's house. It was both scary and satisfying to know that his father could walk in at any moment.

Lucky for his daring and kinky self, his father could sleep through a tsunami.

Phantom's eyes flashed red as Danny started moving, slowly as to not hurt himself. Rising and falling back down on Phantom, and driving the merman crazy with the slow pace. 

Danny grabbed a fist full of shiny white hair and pulled Phantom's face out of his neck.

"You're mine," Danny said, and Phantom's eyes flashed red again possessively, but the human didn't appear afraid. "This is only between us, anyone else touches you like I've done tonight, and we're done." Danny knew it was important to make this clear now, as it seemed that Phantom had done his research online and could have learned _anything_ , or could have _not_ learned important things, like how to be faithful.

Phantom didn't seem to mind, he even nodded and kissed Danny again, seeming to understand, "Only you," he said against the human's bruised lips.

Danny's heart lurched and he quickened his pace, rising up till only the tip was still inside him before falling down harder than before. The friction drove them both crazy and neither of them could detach themselves from the other's lips. 

Phantom gripped the human's ass with both hands and pulled him closer, not only causing Danny's dick to rub against Phantom's stomach, but also causing Phantom to enter him at a different angle. So when Danny brought himself down, pure, electric fire shot up his spine and made him moan uncontrollably. His legs twitched and his toes curled, and suddenly the pleasure seemed almost too much to handle. He was caught between wanting to move faster and harder, but also being unable to move anymore at all, it felt too good. 

Phantom watched as Danny attempted to stop his moans as he kept up his erratic pace, the fire was burning, _building_ , building up to a mind-blowing heat that felt as though it would eventually make him explode. Phantom hissed and moaned when Danny clenched down around him. _Shit_. He was definitely done for.

"I'm close," Danny said as his pace became as broken as his voice, he was clearly running out of energy as he smashed his lips back on Phantom's, desperate for release.

 _Close to what_? Phantom wondered, hearing permission in Danny's head to take the boy down. He did so, flipping them over and assuming the position he had wanted Danny in all night; with one of his long hairless legs over his shoulder and the other one around his waist. Now Danny really couldn't hold back his screams, and Phantom had to put a hand over the boy's mouth for fear of his father hearing.

He watched as Danny seemed to completely lose it, his bright blue eyes rolling to the back of his head as his back arched. Phantom didn't stop, he couldn't stop, it wasn't possible anymore to stop. It felt too good to shove his dick deep inside Danny over and over while the pressure in his gut seemed to continue to build. So he didn't stop, not when Danny let out a loud scream into his palm, not when the boy's velvet walls clenched impossibly hard down around him, or when a strange but familiar white substance erupted from the human's slightly smaller penis. Not even when Danny seemed to calm down and stare up into Phantom's eyes lazily. 

Hard breathing and the loud slap of skin against skin as the merman moved were the only sounds in the room until finally that heat that had been building seemed to attack Phantom all at once. He braced himself over Danny as his body jerked and shook and an explosion of pleasure rocked through his body, more powerful than anything he had ever experienced. His vision went dark, and tearing the bed sheet was all he could do to not crush Danny in its intensity.

He had no idea being human could be this amazing.

He had never felt so alive.

Danny's eyes cracked open when Phantom finally slowed to a stop, his sliding in and out much easier than before.

"I love you," Danny said gently.

Phantom stared down at the boy, catching his breath and releasing his smooth leg from his shoulder.

Danny was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. 

He leaned down and kissed Danny with as much feeling as he could. He didn't know if it was love, but he made sure to put whatever it was in the kiss and make Danny know how much more Phantom felt, compared to the past. To Phantom, the difference between now and then was extraordinary. This passion has only just been introduced, and yet it already felt so powerful. Hopefully, it would be enough for Danny because he was now making an honest attempt to allow himself to believe that he could one day feel what Danny feels.

Danny smiled behind Phantom's lips.


	19. Firework

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K8QTT8h_W8
> 
> All credit goes to chase and Katy Perry for the song and the cover song, but in this story, we're going to pretend like Danny invented it because I'm not creative enough to make my own song and music 😊 yaaaay.
> 
> OMG guys... a complete shit storm is on the way. This isn't just the calm before the storm, this is happy before the terrorized.
> 
> I'm excited.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

Danny sweated over his computer, his fingers typing away rapidly filling out a job application, as a receptionist, that Phantom could hopefully get. So far, in the 3 weeks that Phantom had been living there, the merman had been to 5 interviews, and all of them fell through. Danny would love to give Phantom the benefit of the doubt, but he had a nagging suspicion that it was because of Phantom's resting bitch face, and bad attitude, that was preventing him from getting a job. 

He knew that the problem couldn't be anything like a lack of reliable transport, because not only is this a small town and you can walk anywhere, but Danny also had a car and was willing to drive Phantom anywhere he needed to go if only he would be allowed to stay. So the problem had to be Phantom.

That just made things harder than they already were, and despite the fact that Danny, Sam, and Tucker were all trying to help Phantom learn proper manners and respect, the merman wasn't doing too well. 

It didn't help that this was a small town and there weren't a lot of options when it came to employment. Mostly the only places to work was in some position at a restaurant, but Phantom couldn't do that for fear of him getting wet somehow and exposing himself. Working at a restaurant wasn't an option for Phantom, so the only other thing that Danny could come up with was some boring job as a receptionist or assistant. 

Phantom wasn't making it easy though, and Danny was running out of places to apply for him. Phantom didn't have a degree, no prior experience, and was also a high school student. Those three things closed a lot of doors, and Danny was worried that his father would start to change his mind about Phantom staying if things continued the way they were. Danny was sure the only thing that was keeping his father from considering kicking Phantom out, was his grades; he had extremely high A's in everything. He was doing great in school, which Danny realized in relief, was buying them time.

They needed to figure something out quick, or Phantom would soon overstay his welcome.

Danny submitted an application for one of the only available jobs left and put his head in his hands. He was so stressed out, he couldn't believe that he didn't have a head full of gray hair by now.

He needed to relieve his stress, and soon.

He sighed, opening up garage band, figuring he would work on the songs that continuously get abandoned 'cause of a lack of a singer. He pressed play just to remember where he left off on, allowing the sound of the electric piano and guitar to fill the room. He hadn't worked on any of his songs since Phantom first showed up, and he honestly missed doing it.

Phantom's ears picked up when he heard the sound of the music playing from Danny's computer, the tone of the music was nice, but that awful monotone automated voice was completely ruining it. He was sitting on Danny's bed, trying to complete his homework, but he listened to the words of the song as he did so. It was sweet, the lyrics had meaning, and he could see how other humans would find it inspiring. If only Danny didn't need to have that horribly fake voice recording on it.

Danny started tweaking the song, adding in instruments and editing the tone. How the drums and the sound of a heartbeat fit into the song was his favorite thing about it, it added to the minor key in a hauntingly beautiful tune. 

He usually kept this hobby a secret, but he didn't mind if Phantom heard what he was doing. They had been having sex for two weeks now, so Danny had already decided he wouldn't keep anything from Phantom.

He played it a few times until he was satisfied with how the music sounded, the voice may be horrible, but at least it fallowed all the notes it was programmed to hit.

Phantom started humming along with the fake voice, getting sick of how much it was tearing the song down. It wasn't a bad song, Danny did have talent, but Phantom knew that Danny could sing so he wasn't sure why he didn't just record himself singing along to it. He shrugged, Danny was shy by nature and lacked confidence in himself.

When he finally had enough, he put his homework down and walked over to Danny, shoving the kid away and deleting the automated voice.

"Phantom, what are you?-" Danny immediately started panicking, unable to move in his shock as the voice disappeared from the song, and instead was frozen in his spot as he watched Phantom hit the record button. When the beginning of the song started playing and the guitar made it to his ears, Danny stared at Phantom, his panic leaving him when he saw the hard look in his green eyes. He looked like he was determined to do something.

When Phantom started singing the words in place of where the ugly auto recording was supposed to be, Danny's eyes widened.

"Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again. Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in." 

Danny had forgotten just how pretty Phantom's voice was, having not heard it in over a year and a half. Listening to him sing along to one of his own songs, one that he made himself, though, was the greatest reminder ever.

"Baby you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth. Make'em go oh-oh-oh, as you shoot across the sky-y-y."

Phantom's voice was powerful and beautiful, and Danny wondered if he was allowing hypnosis to pour into his voice as he sang, because all Danny could do was stare in adoration. Phantom was captivating and made the song more gorgeous than Danny had ever dreamed of it being. His voice made the song sound as phenomenal, as sexy, and as inspiring as Danny had intended it to sound.

"Boom-boom-boom, it even brighter than the moon-moon-moon. It's always been inside of you-you-you, and now its time to let it through-through-through."

Suddenly, as Phantom finished singing the song and hit the record button again to stop it, Danny had a revolutionary idea; they could use this. He quickly dialed Sam and Tucker's number and waited in anticipation for them to answer the group call. 

Phantom didn't have any skill to work in an office, he didn't have patience, he didn't have the positive attitude that a professional work office needed because of his dislike for the human race. They would never get anywhere if they continued to try to get Phantom a desk job. His sarcastic, sultry, and almost rude personality wouldn't do well in an office even if he were to somehow get the job.

But if they were to use his talents, he wouldn't need a professional attitude so much, he wouldn't get bored so easily, and his personality would just build to the quality of the music.

"Sam? Tucker?" Danny asked as he started editing the recorded voice to better fit the tone of the song, adding in a background voice, and making it sound more poetic and edgy. "You guys are going to love me forever."

...

With the help of Sam and Tucker, Danny had been able to make a music video of Phantom singing along to his music. Tucker had set him up with an interview at the radio office, where Danny was now sitting next to Phantom, his friends, and his father, nervously with his CD in the interviewer's hands somewhere behind the office door. 

Danny had already shown the song to the group of people who interviewed him, and he was told to wait outside with his family about 30 minutes ago. They were now waiting to see what would happen next. The wait was driving Danny crazy though, they hadn't said anything about the song before they sent him out to wait. They just told him to wait in the lobby. Danny was sure he would lose his sanity very soon if something, _anything_ , didn't happen soon.

"Dude, calm down." Tucker whispered, noticing that Danny's palms were white, "Your song is amazing, they'll love it." Tucker had been shocked an amazed when Danny had first told him a couple days ago that he was a songwriter as a hobby. Even more shocked, and proud, when he actually listened to the song. Danny was truly amazing, and he was proud to be his friend.

Danny looked at Tucker and blushed, he was very nervous. He had brought his father, in case the radio actually like his song and decided to sign a contract with him, and for emotional support.

"It's true Danny," Sam said, "this is an amazing opportunity for you, just think of how much money you'll get for that song." Her smile was comforting, and her optimism gave Danny hope, but it didn't settle his nerves in the slightest.

Especially not when the man who seemed to be the boss in this particular radio place, opened the office door and called Danny and his team in.

They all piled in and sat in one of the rolling office chairs, in front of the same large table, and faced the four people who had interviewed them.

Danny was sweating as he waited for the verdict, his chest felt tight and his head hurt. The pressure he felt reminded him of the time, back before he met Phantom when he walked in a classroom and the teacher hit him with a pop quiz that he wasn't prepared for worth 60% of his grade. 

He was handed his CD titled "Firework" and he sat to wait.

The boss, a bigger man in an all-blue suit and tie, put his hands together and regarded Danny with an excited expression. "Mr. Fenton, do we have good news for you," The man said, capturing Danny's full attention and interest. "Your song was so amazing, that as soon as you walked out of the room, my friends and I," he gestured to the nodding people around him, "Called the board of music and showed them the song." he started listing things off his fingers, "They want you on the radio, they want you on Spotify, they want you on iTunes, youtube, anywhere that you can get music, they want you on it."

Danny's mouth dropped open, his brain unsure at first how to take the information, but when his friends and father pat his back and exclaimed at how awesome that was, his shocked expression lead into one of excitement.

They were each required to sign a contract that allowed them to work with the song, and they each agreed that 10% of the revenue would be allowed to go to the board of music for putting their song on the music market. This contract covered Firework and any other song that Danny sent to the board of music. Since each one of them, besides Jack, had something to do with the making of the song, they were each required to put their mailing address and contact information so they could send them checks and offers. 

That was weeks ago, and now as Danny got the mail out of the mailbox, and saw that there were two separate envelopes from the board of music for both he and Phantom, Danny opened his curiously.

He had heard his song being played all over town, and the happy and content faces that his peers had as they replayed it over and over made had made him blush. He loved his song, and didn't get tired of hearing it throughout the day, he had even started editing some of the older songs he had given up on. Getting Phantom to start learning the words so that he could record it and send it to the board of music. 

**"Congratulations Daniel Fenton, your song has received $400,000 in total revenue for this month alone. Due to the nature of the contract you signed, $40,000 has stayed with the board of music, and the rest was split up between you and the other contracted names.**

**We look forward to sending you your next check, and working with you on your next song."**

Danny's face paled as he read the letter, reading it over and over to make sure that the numbers were right. This meant that they had made _360 grand_ on that one song, and after doing some mental math in his head, he realized that meant that they would each be receiving $72,000.00 each.

He was almost scared to look at the attached check, so he closed his eyes as he pulled it out, terrified that he was being led on. This couldn't be so. The cold bite of winter did nothing to settle his nerves either. He wasn't sure if the chills running up and down his spine was from the 43-degree weather, or from the anticipation he felt as he thumbed the bottom of the paper for the check.

He nearly fainted when he counted the number of zeros written behind the number 72 on the check. That was it, $72,000.00.

Danny couldn't believe that he was holding that much money in the palm of his hands. This was enough money to send him to college all the way to his doctorates if he chose to go down that road, and there would still probably be some left over.

Excitement and complete joy made his body twitch. That meant the world liked his song, loved it even. Could Phantom's hypnotic voice have anything to do with how much revenue there was? Danny was too happy to care as he ran into the house to tell his father and Phantom. 

This would not only mean that Phantom had a permanent place in his father's home, or permanent at least until they finished school and moved out, but he was also pretty much covered to go to the college he has always wanted to go to. Phantom could even come with him now if he wanted; with his grades, the merman could get into any college he wanted, and now he would be able to pay for it too.

There was also offers from separate companies to buy the song from him, Danny noticed as he went through the rest of the mail. Those, however, Danny tore up and threw away in the waste bin with a satisfied smirk on his face.  Needless to say, it wasn't hard to make the decision to continue to work with Phantom, Sam, and Tucker on more songs to show to the board of music.

When he and Phantom cashed their checks, Danny helped Phantom make a checking account to put his money in. He made sure to give 11 grand of his own money to his father and sent another 11 grand to his sister so she could put a down payment on the car that she wanted. Tucker was able to get a pair of happy parents out of debt, and Sam no longer needed to rely on her unaccepting parents for money anymore.

Things were looking up, and life would surely get easier now that they were set to be very rich very soon.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is my literal baby.
> 
>  
> 
> There is a huge shit storm on the way, I hope you guys know this.


	20. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creepy Vlad, Mommy/Daddy issues, and smut in this chapter.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

Danny had always hated Christmas. Even when he was a small boy, he had always despised the whole Christmas season. Now though, as he fought Phantom, he had never loved it so much.

Danny was fighting Phantom playfully, trying to get him to put on the ugly Christmas sweater. It was already cool enough in the house so the merman wouldn't get sick from the heat, so Danny didn't allow the elder to use that as an excuse as he tackled Phantom onto the bed.

He laughed as he tried to shove the sweater over Phantom's head, "Come on Phantom, you'll look so cute in it."

"Danny, no, please, it's so ugly, I don't want to." The mint green sweater that matched the one Danny was already wearing looked like Santa threw up on it. It had pompoms, glitter, a picture of a stoned Rudolf, and colorful sequence along the collar. It was the embodiment of all things cheery and horrifying.

"Come on Phantom," Danny giggled as Phantom tried to push him away, "its Christmas morning, time to dawn your gay apparel."

"I'm not gay," Phantom dodged another attack, groaning when Danny just laughed harder.

"Right," the raven said in sarcastic amusement, "because I totally _don't_ have you balls deep in my ass almost every night." 

Phantom rolled his eyes, _that didn't prove anything._  

"Sweetie, you're gay," Danny smirked and shoved the sweater over his boyfriend's head before the merman realized what was happening.

Phantom refused to look down at himself as the raven set the sweater in place, he knew that it looked horrible on him. He made a mental note to burn the sweater sometime today when Danny wasn't looking.

"There, now you look as sexy, and as _gay_ , as I do." He made sure to put emphasis on the word gay, needing Phantom to know that he needed to embrace his sexual orientation in order to be happy-which was the second definition of the word gay.

Phantom blinked slowly at Danny, not saying anything but knowing what he wanted to say, and that was that this sweater made him look anything _but_ sexy. He shook his head and chuckled, rolling his eyes at the younger teen.

Danny slapped the merman's thigh through his black skinny jean's. "Come on, we need to help Dad prepare for tonight's dinner. My mom, my uncle Vlad, and my sister are coming over and I want you to at least be friends with Jazz." Danny was nervous about Vlad coming over and spending the night, though he hadn't seen the older man in a year now. Maybe having his mother as company has changed him into a decent human being, that didn't thirst for a teenagers body? Maybe?

Not likely.

Phantom and Danny went downstairs to see that Jack had already started basting the turkey. Danny's mouth watered at the smell of the seasoning mixture his father had invented himself. Aside from mermaid weapons, the turkey was his father's specialty. It was something that he did right every year.

Danny always made chocolate cream and lemon meringue pies, so as soon as he walked into the kitchen, he started preparing the ingredients. His sister's plane was supposed to land in a couple hours, and Danny wanted the pies in the fridge by the time he had to go pick her up from the airport.

Danny looked over to Phantom, who was sitting at the kitchen table watching the raven grab a bunch of random, or random to him at least, stuff out of the pantry and fridge. Danny smiled at the green eyes he had long since adored, "Do you want to help me bake pies?"

Phantom looked shocked that Danny had asked at first, he knew that he was thinking it but he thought Danny would realize, before verbalizing the question, how much of a bad idea that was. He pointed at himself just in case, for some ludicrous reason, Danny was talking to people who weren't there.

Danny laughed, "Yes you, who else? Come here."

Phantom did as he was told and got up to stand next to his pet where he stood by the counter, he was handed three lemons, a cheese grater, and a bowl. 

"Here," Danny said, "use the grater to get the zest off the lemons and let it fall in the bowl," after giving Phantom a quick demonstration and telling him to be careful not to cut his fingers, Danny went to work on the chocolate cream pie. 

Phantom follows instructions and two hours later, he and Danny are both putting their pies in the fridge. The merman was covered in flour and cornstarch and it made Danny giggle at the sight. The raven couldn't imagine how such an intelligent being had managed to make a mess of himself from a simple pie, but he was grateful for the sight either way.

His father was sticking the turkey in the oven as he told Danny, "Son, it's 2, you need to start heading over to the airport to pick up your sister."

Danny nodded, immediately washing his hands and going to grab his keys, "Dan, you wanna come with me, or do you wanna stay?" But Phantom was already heading out the door. 

Danny shrugged and grabbed his coat, shutting the door behind him as he pressed the button to unlock his Honda.

Jack watched Dan as he left, he knew that the kid had an allergy to heat, but was he really okay with not wearing a jacket in 37-degree weather? Odd.

He shrugged it off, thinking it was just a side effect to his allergy.

...

"Wow, sweetie, your friend is certainly special," Maddie said as she put the freshly made potato salad on the dining table.

Danny didn't hear the skepticism in his mother's voice, and if he did he didn't acknowledge it, instead, taking her words as a compliment, "Yeah, he's really cool." He set the bowl of cooked spinach down next to a pair of tongs, and went to grab the cornbread, dodging his father who was on his way to put the turkey on the table.

Maddie didn't particularly like that her son was hanging around someone with such a troublesome background. Who knew what this child had been up to when he was living under such a horrible mans home? She didn't want him dragging her precious boy into a life of drugs, or alcoholism, or whatever _else_ boys like him do to cope in that sort of household.

She let it go for now though, it wasn't the right place to talk to Danny about her concerns over the matter. She would have to talk to him about it in the morning when Dan wasn't around to hear that she didn't like him very much. She felt bad that he wouldn't have anywhere to go but back home to his father, but her own boy would always come first.

Vlad was setting the table with plates and silver wear while pouring each adult a glass of wine, and a glass of water. 

Danny didn't miss the eyeballs that the older man would send him every chance he got, didn't even miss the eyeballs he would send _Phantom_ too, much to the merman's annoyance it seemed. Danny remembered that Phantom could hear everyone's thoughts, and briefly wondered if that was what was keeping the merman so, on _edge_. The white-haired teen seemed really stressed out like he wanted to say something to Vlad, but knew it wasn't the time or place to speak out.

Danny knew the restrictive feeling.

Phantom caught his blue eyes staring so he gave the raven a comforting smile, but Danny continued to wonder how bad Vlad's thoughts had to be to make Phantom so uptight.

The merman would rather not tell Danny.

...

Phantom had excused himself to the bathroom, but as soon as he was out of sight by the other humans in the house, he ran upstairs to Danny's room.

The merman felt anger bleed into his being as he jammed his finger into the dry sheetrock of Danny's wall, hooking his finger around the camera there, and yanking it out. Phantom's eyes glowed bright red as he crushed the tiny camera between his fingers, going around the room to get rid of the rest.

When he had first got to Danny's house, he had thought the cameras around the house were put there by the fat idiot as a security system, but apparently not. Vlad hasn't stopped marveling since he got to the house about how he's been watching him, and Danny, screw around for weeks now. 

Phantom shivered, feeling disgusted and vulnerable. He had never hated a human so much in his life. Vlad was disgusting, vile, a sick human being.

He had been watching Danny for years now, Phantom realized.

Watching him undress. Watching him shower. Watching him touch himself when he thought he was alone...

It took a moment for Phantom to realize that he was growling, low and deep, as he yanked out the camera hidden in Danny's shower. He made sure to crush every last one of them between his fingers before flushing them down the toilet. Once he was sure every last one of the ones in Danny's room was gone, he made his way back to the party downstairs. 

Maddie and Jack seemed to already be getting tipsy, Vlad, however, was faking his own intoxication. They laughed and told jokes together as if they had never been angry at all as if Jack hadn't divorced Maddie because she had cheated on him with Vlad. Phantom knew that this truce would only last for Christmas and then they would all be back to hating each other. 

How strange. Phantom didn't know much about love, or hate, but how fickle did these humans have to be to be so indecisive about how they feel towards each other?

Danny was slowly eating his turkey, uncomfortable with how the adults were acting, and Jazz was plowing through her sweet corn like a starving child who just got a hold of their first meal in days. She wasn't old enough to drink, so she was the only adult in the room who wasn't tipping off the edge of sobriety.

Phantom sat down in his own chair next to Danny and started eating his food, it seemed Danny had already filled his plate for him, how irritatingly sweet. Phantom rolled his eyes in annoyance and shoved the first bite of cheese mash potatoes in his mouth, only to be starstruck as the flavor burst into his mouth. Phantom couldn't help but chew slowly as it seemed his mouth was having an orgasm. The food didn't taste as good as Danny did, but it was pretty darn high up there as far as flavor goes.

The rest of the food was just as mesmerizing as the potatoes, and Phantom actually went for seconds when he found the serving that Danny gave him wasn't enough. Danny went for seconds as well, but it seemed Jazz was watching her weight. Though Phantom could smell and hear that her metabolism was high, and the only way she would gain an excessive amount of weight is if she ate nothing but butter and oil on white bread. Body image issues were pathetic, especially when it was a girl who had a body most girls would kill for. 

At least Jazz wasn't stupid enough to starve herself like some of the girls he had seen in his lifetime, Phantom had to give her that. 

A couple hours later, both Maddie and Jack Fenton were very drunk, and Jazz then decided that it was time for her to go to bed. She thought that since all three adults appeared to be drunk since Vlad was such a good faker and was only tipsy, it was time for her to hit the mattress. She didn't like being around the three when they were drunk, because they tended to say things she didn't like.

Danny wasn't ready for bed yet though, as much as he hated Vlad, he wasn't ready to go back to his parents hating each other. He was willing to hang around the creep if only it meant things went back to normal, even for a little bit. Like back when his parents were still happy together and Vlad was still just a lonely old man with a lonely guy cat.

For the first time, Phantom felt pity.

Danny and Phantom sat on the couch watching the football game that Jack had put on, all three adults seemed to be great at roasting the players as they laughed and cried out at how funny their jokes were. The lights were dim, and the only light in the room was from the light of the TV, so the adults couldn't see Danny reach for Phantoms hand.

Eventually, though, Danny felt pressure growing in his groin and knew that mother nature was calling, so he got up and went to use the restroom. Phantom watched him go, not wanting him to leave but knowing that it wasn't smart to stop him. He knew that Vlad noticed Danny leaving the room as well, and the old man was planning on slipping away from the divorced couple to try and... 

Phantom growled, eyes flashing red as he read Vlad's mind.

"Did you hear that?" Maddie asked, looking around the room for the source of the noise she heard.

"Hear what?" Jack asked.

Maddie shook her head, "Nothing, I guess I'm drunk."

Vlad got up, "I'm going to hit the can." 

Maddie and Jack were none the wiser, and Phantom rolled his eyes at the parent's ignorance as Vlad passed him by. He couldn't believe some parents, their son could be getting molested in a minute and they were both too drunk to suspect anything. 

He briefly remembered the mother on the beach who nearly lost her son to him back when he was still a merman waiting to kill Danny. Were all parents this careless? No wonder children died, or got kidnapped, or got raped every day.

Not today though, Phantom thought as he got up to fallow the old man, the parents didn't even notice the merman getting up.

Vlad was sneaking over to the restroom that Danny was currently occupying, and Phantom knew that he planned on waiting for Danny to open the door so he could shove him back by the throat. Maddie and Jack wouldn't even notice that Danny was gone, and if they did, they would just assume that he had gone to bed. They never used this guest bathroom, and Vlad knew that from how often he had watched the family over the years.

Vlad knew that hurting the boy in his own guest bathroom wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he had money to protect himself, and he was desperate. He was willing to chance it this time, he had already waited too long. Also knowing Danny, who was shy and had trouble speaking up for himself, he probably wouldn't even _tell_ anyone. 

Vlad thought he would get away with it. Thought it would be easy, simple, _fast_.

Phantom tapped the old man's shoulder, and the vial human turned around in shock. He had thought Phantom was too distracted and careless to allow his attention to be drawn away from the football game on tv. He was now uncomfortable as he realized he had been caught red-handed sneaking up on Danny while the boy was in the bathroom.

 _No matter_ , Vlad thought as he straightened himself, it wasn't as if this child knew what he was planning to do. He could play this off.

"Dan, dear boy, why on earth would you sneak up on me like that?" His smile didn't fool anyone, but Phantom could smell that he wasn't afraid, as if the man _knew_ that he could get away as if he was doing nothing wrong. "Don't you know you shouldn't scare old men like me? You might give me a heart attack."

This was probably a bad idea, it was an _extremely_ bad idea, but Phantom was too angry to care. It was bad enough that he was having to fight the temptation to slaughter this man where he stood, he couldn't play nice anymore. Jack and Maddie weren't watching, and they were too drunk to know what was going on, and if Vlad was smart, he wouldn't say anything to the pair.

"Don't you know pedophilia is sick and wrong?" Phantom smirked at Vlad's shocked expression.

He pretended to be outraged by Phantom's accusation, "Excuse me? How dare _you_ , someone who's not even in this family, accuse me of trying to hurt young Daniel?" He put on fake surprise as if the notion of actually hurting Danny was an absurd one.

"I wonder what the police will do to you if I tell them that you have cameras all over this house." Phantom had only gotten rid of the ones in Danny's room, so there was still evidence against Vlad all over the house, in every four corners of every room. "That is if you don't stay the hell away from Danny, and I don't end up killing you myself."

Vlad contained his shock well, but Phantom knew he was screaming at himself in his head, wondering how this child could possibly know about cameras that he had professionally hidden. No human eye should have ever been able to see them.

He covered his nervousness with a chuckle, "My boy, you sound ridiculous," then his face grew darker, "but let me tell you since you appear to be too smart for your own good," he leaned in as if his angered and threatening expression could actually intimidate the merman. "If anyone finds out, I have enough money to make your life a living hell, I can take away your identity, I can take away your freedom, I can take away your life and make it as though you never even existed. So I suggest you mind your own business."

Phantom smirked, ' _that's adorable, this fool thinks he can actually scare me_?'

"Hm," Phantom hummed, and Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Humans like you are so prideful." The merman said it more to himself than anything, and Vlad briefly wondered what the child meant by that. "It would be a real shame if you _disappeared_." Phantom's tone was sinister, _threatening_ , and his eye's flashed red briefly, making Vlad almost shit himself. 

"I wonder if anyone would miss you," the merman continued with a smirk, knowing this would get to the lonely man who lacked companionship without money, "perhaps someone might try to find you? Not that it would make a difference, no. After a while, no one will even remember your name." Phantom was pretty hungry, and for a moment he was tempted to just eat Vlad.  Then he would never be able to stalk or threaten Danny ever again.

Vlad's face paled, something about the way Phantom spoke was ominous. His foreboding and passive aggressive threat struck Vlad deeper than anyone had ever been able to. The child was so menacing that he almost didn't sound human. It made him back away, his survival instinct kicking in and making him go back to the Fenton's to pretend like nothing ever happened.

Danny stepped out of the restroom, smelling like lavender hand soap, and looked at Phantom curiously.

"Phantom? What are you doing standing there?" He asked.

"Nothing Danny, Its time to go to bed, tell your parents good night." The merman said as he headed towards the stairs.

Danny didn't notice the slight anger in Phantom's voice and was about to argue that he wasn't ready for bed, but Phantom hissed into his head that he wasn't playing, and he needed to do as he was told.

Danny jumped at the scolding tone that invaded his head, not sure why Phantom seemed so miffed all of a sudden. What happened in the 3 minutes that he was in the restroom? He figured it was best to just do as he was told this time, he would see his mother tomorrow. Maybe they could even get breakfast together before she had to get on her plane back to Wisconsin.

When he got up to his room, Phantom was sitting on the bed.

Danny carefully entered, unsure if the merman was mad at him. He didn't want to upset him any more than he was already. 

"Phantom?" he asked softly.

The merman looked up at Danny, and after a second of staring, he got up from his spot and walked over to the boy.

Danny shrunk at the dark and intense look that Phantom was giving him. He seemed really angry. What had happened? What was wrong with him? Why was he so triggered?

When Phantom kissed Danny it was harsh and passionate. As if the merman was taking out his rage on the human's lips. It was shocking to the boy, but not at all unwanted; the fierceness of the kiss was only slightly painful but still completely mind-blowing. It made Danny feel wanted, _needed_ even as if Phantom would starve if he didn't kiss him.

"You are _mine_ ," was all Phantom said, hissing the word 'mine' out and sounding like an angry serpent as he walked Danny over to the bed. He felt an overwhelming urge to be inside the raven. The events of the night made him feel a dark and possessive need to show his human who he belonged to.

Danny seemed receptive, even into how needy Phantom suddenly was, so the merman grabbed the ravens pants and boxers and yanked them down, leaving them to bunch around the boy's ankles. 

Danny started breathing harshly as lust rapidly took over his mind, honestly not minding that Phantom was taking the lead with so much dominance. The power he was exerting gave Danny a thrill that unlocked the desire to be at Phantom's complete mercy. 

Perhaps there was a psychological explanation. He knew his sister would probably say that this newly discovered kink was a result from going through a specific traumatic event that had taken away his freedom, and now he was expressing it in a sexual way. All Danny knew or cared about though, was that he couldn't get enough. Submitting to Phantom as his personal slave was his new guilty pleasure.

Phantom forced Danny to turn around and face the bed, and without a second of pause, grabbed him by the back of his neck and made him bend over. Till he was right were Phantom wanted him, with his upper half pressing against the surface of the bed and his ass pressing firmly against his clothed erection.

Grabbing the bottle of lube out of the drawer, Phantom unbuttoned his pants and moved them out of the way just enough to free his erection and cover it in the slimy substance.

The merman took a moment to feel and admired Danny's ass, the remaining lube that covered his hand spread around the boy's cheek and made it shiny, somehow making it even more appealing to grip and look at. Danny's eyes rolled to the back of his head, he never knew just having his ass grabbed that way could feel so good. Phantom made him feel desirable, made him feel sexy. It was thrilling and electrifying and made him want to make the merman happy all the more.

Phantom took him hard, making Danny have to bite into his pillow to keep from screaming too loud. The power behind the merman's thrusts reminded Danny just how strong his boyfriend actually was, as the white-haired male pounded his spot with dead-on accuracy every time. 

Danny thought his heart would explode, they had done nothing but be slow and sweet every time they had sex so far. The sudden change of pace made Danny unable to speak anything other than unintelligible mumbles that neither boy could possibly understand.

 _Is this what its like to be fucked?_ Danny wondered brokenly in his head, finally understanding why some people were so desperate for this, why some people would do _anything_ for this. Phantom hasn't even taken off his clothes, and there was no foreplay. Danny's pants were the only thing to go and even they were still bunched up somewhere around his ankles, yet he felt so exhilarated already, and they had barely started. This was easy to get addicted to, and Danny knew it the moment release started creeping up on him.

Phantom growled like a lion and dug his nails into Danny's back when the boy started clenching.

"Your mine, Danny."

Heat poured down from the human's chest all across his thighs, he loved it when Phantom said his name like that.

"Mine," Phantom drove his hips into Danny pointedly, as if trying to engrave his name deep inside the human, "mine, mine, mine, mine, mine." With each word that Phantom pounded into him, Danny howled into his pillow, feeling like he was getting closer and closer to a point of intoxicated ecstasy.  He was in a weird sort of headspace, where his consciousness seemed to be absent, and the only thing there was a feral hunger for Phantom.

"Say your mine," Phantom hissed, gripping the raven locks on the back of Danny's head, and pulling his face out of the pillow.

Danny's eyes were closed as he tried to get his speech to cooperate with his brain, "I-I _oh god_..." It seemed, though, that his effort was worthless as Phantom continued to hit that beautiful spot deep inside him. The bed creaked with the force of the merman's hips, and the human's legs had gone numb from the effort of holding himself up in his bent over position. It did nothing but add to Danny's bliss though.  
  
A hand crept up from somewhere on Danny's back to wrap around the boy's neck and squeezed. Phantom slowed the pace of his hips to _just_ fast enough to keep the raven right on the edge of his release but didn't give him enough stimulation to actually cum. 

Danny whimpered.

"Say it." Phantom had gone mad with anger, jealousy, and a ravenous possessive instinct that was driving his every move. He needed to hear Danny say it.

" _I'm yours_! Oh god, Phantom, I'm all yours. _Please_." Danny was nearly sobbing from being denied release, the build-up of pleasure drove him to a lunatic level of euphoria.

Phantom picked up his pace again, keeping Danny's throat in one hand and grabbing the boys dick with the other. 

Danny couldn't scream through the tight grip on his throat, but if he could, he would probably wake his sister from how loud it would be. Phantom was rubbing his tip with his thumb and the firm motion is what threw Danny over the edge.

The human wasn't sure if the white sparks flying behind his eyes as he came was a result from the lack of oxygen, or from the complete rapture invading his body, but Danny didn't ever want it to stop.

Phantom slowed down after a minute, releasing Danny's throat and allowing the kid to breathe. At first, the boy choked on air, but after a few coughs, he was able to catch his breath. He had already released inside Danny while the boy was on cloud 9, so he took a moment to slow his own breathing. He basked in the afterglow as he stared down at Danny, who was slumped against the mattress, looking very exhausted and fucked out.

Phantom felt much better, no longer feeling angry, or crazed with jealousy. Danny had soothed the beast of proprietorship that now hibernated deep inside him.

He moved raven locks out of Danny's sweaty face, adoring how beautiful the human was, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his flushed cheek, knowing the boy liked it when he did that. He looked at it as a promise from Phantom that the merman still valued his safety, and his comfort, no matter how rough the merman got with him.

Danny smiled at the soft contact, and later, after they were both clean and dressed in pajamas, they fell asleep in each other's arms. Feeling happiness, whether one of them realized it or not. 

They were comfortable, safe, secure.

At least for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so bad... as we get deeper in the story more and more crap is going to happen to poor Danny. This chapter barely puts a dent in how much is going to happen. Oof. 
> 
> You're going to think you finally hit the climax of bull crap, but with each chapter you're going to realize just how shitty Danny and Phantom's situation is.
> 
> I love it.


	21. Open

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, all of the songs that Danny mentions in these chapters are all cover songs originally made by Chase Holfelder. So not only do the songs not belong to me, but I don't want you to get the Chase Holfelder version mixed up with the original creator's version. Every song in this Fanfic is Chase Holfelder. I just think his dark and ominous major to minor key songs fit the story so well, and I'm not creative enough to make my own song and music.
> 
> By the way, on a side note, I'm not sure if you realize it yet, but the OC "Arisoal" is actually a play on Arial from the little mermaid. However, in this fic, we are going to pretend that the movie "The Little Mermaid" doesn't exist.
> 
> Also, I start my next semester in college next Tuesday, and I can already tell that I'm going to have a crap load of homework, so these fast updates might slow back down to one update a week. Sorry. 
> 
> Warning: attempted rape, major character death. I put the archive warnings for a reason.
> 
> This chapter has been edited.

Zeus stared down on the human world with a twitch of his eyebrow, a specific merman who was being punished by the god of the underworld in his sights. His sister and wife, Hera stood next to him, staring down at the siren with a little more appreciation than her husband appeared to have.

"What's the matter?" the goddess asked, already knowing the answer, but only to an extent. She knew how dangerous the siren was, but she had no idea how Zeus would handle him. To her, the merman didn't appear to pose a threat to the humans, or at least not more of a threat than any other human posed. 

"I'm fearful Hera," the ruler of the gods said, "my brother is not one to allow this particular species to live peacefully." Sure Hades had made it so that Phantom still had all his powers, and living a peaceful life would prove to be difficult, but it appeared that the merman was adjusting easier than the god of the underworld fancied.

He worried that Hades would break rules, specific rules, that keep order in both the human world and the underworld. The humans were not a part of heaven nor hell, they simply coexisted, and the gods had no control over what happened in their lives. What the gods juried, was what happened to their souls after death, and nothing else. 

It was a law that they didn't do anything to manipulate a human's fate. They could not control a human's choices, and they could not choose their paths for them, the gods could only decide what to do with them after they are dead. However, Zeus knew that his brother was rebellious when it came to rules if the incident 100 years ago with Hercules was any indication.

Hera looked up at her husband, "Do you think Hades is plotting something?"

Zeus nodded, "Most definitely, however, at the moment, I cannot be sure what. I fear for young Daniel's life though. A demon and a human's life have been entertained, and nothing good ever comes from that."

"It went well for Arisoal, and that human she married," Hera suggested. It was unfair that a demon seeks the life of a human, wanting nothing more than to just live peacefully with their mate, only for Hades to interfere with them.

"Arisoal got lucky, I'm not sure it will work a second time." Zeus appeared to be stressed out, and rightfully so. 

Hera looked down at Phantom and Daniel as the two boys got ready for school. The merman was powerful, but not at all anymore threatening than every other human around him. It wouldn't be fair if Hades interfered with their lives, not that Hades knew what the word fair meant. _He_ was the one that decided to put the merman on human legs, _he_ forced him to live with the humans. Hades was the one enforcing punishment for something that shouldn't even be considered wrong, it wasn't right for him to make Phantom suffer any more than he already was.

Phantom may still have his powers, but he was human, and he could never return to the ocean or Hades would kill him. The demon was even feeling human emotion, which made him just like every other person on Earth with flesh and blood. It simply wasn't fair for Hades to categorize Phantom with the rest of that dark, evil, spawns lurking in the depths of the ocean.

"I'm afraid all we can do for the time being is wait," Hera said carefully. All the power in the world, and yet they couldn't tell the future.

Zeus nodded in agreement, "That's all we can do." He was the god and ruler of all other Olympians. He wielded awesome power and could manipulate the wind and sky. Yet there was a chance he wouldn't be able to save one human.

How upsetting.

...

"Sweetie, I'll be driving you to school this morning." Maddie stopped her son from grabbing his keys and the boy looked at her curiously. "I have to take Vlad over to your school anyway because he'll be substituting for your English class again. Isn't that great?"

Phantom was walking down the stairs as Maddie said all this, and he looked at the woman with barely concealed irritation.

Maddie pretended that the bad attitude wasn't there as she regarded Phantom with distaste, "Sorry, Dan, you're going to have to walk today." The boy just rolled his eyes and prepared to walk out the door.

Danny questioned what was going on before Phantom could walk completely out the front door to start down the street, knowing that the merman would be able to read his mind.

" ** _She's just going to tell you how much she doesn't like me._** " Danny heard Phantom's voice as clearly as if he had spoken it aloud, and his eyebrows rose in confusion. How could his mother already have an opinion on the merman? She had literally just met him the day before, and half of that time she was too drunk to even get to know him.

Danny shrugged, deciding he would attempt to not fight with his mother. He already felt very defensive, but that wasn't going to get him anywhere with the woman. Grabbing the CD he was supposed to turn into the radio office today after school, Danny followed his mother to her rental car.

Vlad sat in the back seat, much to his own annoyance and Danny's satisfaction, as Maddie drove them both to Amity high.

"Sweetie, about your friend?" Danny had barely put his seatbelt on before his mother decided to start in on him.

He chose to play it cool, "You mean Dan? Isn't he awesome? He baked the lemon pie that you couldn't get enough of last night." He chose to throw in some psychology, pretending he had no idea what this conversation was about, and telling his mother just how much he adored Phantom as a friend.

At least a " _friend_ " as far as they knew. He wasn't sure they even knew that he was gay, he had never told them.

Maddie had to take a moment to get her thoughts together. Danny meant to tell her that the pie that she ate _three slices_ of was made by _Dan's crack head hands_? She gripped the steering wheel hard. No, no, the way to a woman's heart was _not_ through her stomach, _no_. 

 _Dan has a terrifying background_ , she reminded herself, _I need to get Danny to see him much, much, less._

"Yes, that pie was indeed delicious." Her mouth was suddenly dry for reasons unknown to her, "But sweetie, I don't really like that he is living with you."

"Why not?" Not that he cared, but he was curious to hear her reasoning.

"Well, boys like him don't have dignified futures." She said, making Danny's blood boil, "I don't want him influencing you to start taking drugs, or alcohol, or something just as horrible."

Danny's face was white with anger, it was amazing how fast his mood could change. It felt as though all the blood drained from his head, and was replaced by something cold, and indignant. 

"What do you mean, ' _boys like him_?' Dan doesn't do any of that stuff," _you judgmental ass_ , Danny stopped himself from adding. How dare his mother, who  _left_ them for Vlad, tell him who he could or couldn't hang out with.

"Sweetie," his mother said scoldingly, "I find that very hard to believe, I thought I taught you that it's not okay to lie. I have never met a teenager that lived under the roof of an abusive alcoholic, who didn't turn to heroin or some other dangerous narcotic at _some_ point in their life." She put her blinker on and turned right, they would be at the school in a couple of minutes.

"You don't even know Dan." Danny hissed, suddenly the resentment that he had kept locked away made its way to the front of his mind, "In the two months that he has lived with us, he has done nothing but make me want to be a better person. Unlike you, who cheated on Dad." He was shocked that he allowed himself to say that last part. Was it to spite her? Did he mean to say that? Or was he just experiencing word vomit, because of how mad he was at her at the moment?

He didn't feel apologetic.

Maddie looked outraged and hurt. "Daniel Fenton, I am your mother, I know what's best for you.  You are to make sure that that boy is out of the house by the weekend or-"

"Or what? You'll ground me? Send me to my room?" He couldn't stop himself, "Sleep with _my_ best friend, too?" 

Danny didn't wait for the car to stop, as soon as the school was in sight, and Maddie had slowed to about 10 miles an hour, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door of the car.

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed in shock and pain, stomping on the breaks to keep the boy from hurting himself as he jumped out. Her son threw his backpack on over his shoulder, and walked away, appearing to be unharmed, much to her relief. 

The raven ignored her calling this name, and the farther away he got, the more horrible Maddie felt. Her boy was so angry with her, and she was losing hope that he would ever forgive her. She had no idea that he held so much hostility for her, all that time had passed and he was still angry.

She watched as Danny walked up to meet _that Dan kid_ by the benches near the school entrance, and from where she was parked, she could see that Sam and Tucker were walking up to meet them. Dan was the only one out of all four of them that wasn't wearing a jacket, but it was 40 degrees! That black sleeveless hoodie couldn't possibly be enough to keep him warm.

Maddie shook her head and forlornly unlocked the back door for Vlad to get out, rolling down the window to kiss him goodbye, before quietly leaving the parking lot.

...

It was English, 1 out of the 2 classes that he didn't have with Sam or Tucker. Phantom sat next to him though, glaring daggers at Vlad, which could only mean that the sub was up to no good.

What else was new?

" _ **Stay away from him today. If he approaches you, you get the fuck away, you hear?"**_ He heard Phantom hiss into his head, and Danny wondered what the merman was hearing from Vlad.

Whatever, he didn't like being around the older man anyways, he was always a creepy fruit loop. Danny nodded, knowing the merman could hear his thoughts.

The raven doodled on his notebook, resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the edge of the desk. He didn't dare look up, knowing that Vlad could be staring at him just as he used to. This was the first time that Vlad had substituted as a teacher since before Phantom kidnapped him, and shrinking under his creepy _lustful_ gaze was definitely something that he had not missed. 

Danny doodled a small drawing of Captain America, the bell would ring in a few minutes and he was ready to leave this room.

"Daniel Fenton, please explain to me the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing." The forty-something-year-old man with gray hair said suddenly, a few feet away and staring down at Danny with the most maliciously amused grin the kid had seen in a while.

Danny blinked up at him dejectedly, wondering how evil this man had to be to humiliate him simply out of spite. The raven had no idea what the answer was, and he knew that Vlad knew that too, the older man just wanted to play with him.

"I-I," Danny stuttered, wondering if he could get away with a bullshit response, everyone was looking at him, waiting for an answer. Nerds and A-listers boys were all staring at him, either trying to mouth the answer to him to save his reputation or take in Danny's suffering to use it as ammo to bully him later.

Danny eventually gave up, and just as he was about to say something along the lines of, "I'm not sure," Phantom spoke into his head.

 _" **Summarizing is for the main idea, dumbass**." _ The merman rolled his eyes and crossed his bare arms.

Suddenly, Danny recalled bits and pieces from Mr. Lancer's lessons, he had been doodling at the time so he couldn't remember everything, but he knew just enough to answer the question.

"Um," He started, looking up at Vlad's amused and expecting glare, and hoping to whatever god was out there that he didn't get this wrong, "Paraphrasing is to put the details of a paragraph into your own words, and summarizing is primarily for the main idea?" He was ready to die if the answer was wrong.

Vlad didn't say anything for a couple seconds, and it was like each millisecond passed in ultra slow motion as Danny's anxiety rose. All Vlad did was stare at him, and it was unnerving, until finally, he said, "Yes, that is correct."

Then the bell rang, and in no time, Danny was grabbing his bag and exiting the class as quickly as possible, wanting to get as far away from his dear old uncle Vlad as he could. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to see him again today, or anytime soon.

Lunchtime was a relief, not only was he a junior and could go off campus for lunch if he wanted to, but he also had a car this year to do so. So it was easy for him, Phantom, and his friends to slip away from school to go to Babes. They had stopped going to the nasty burger long ago, back before they had Phantom with them. They had decided it was time to stop going there for food after the last incident with Dash when he shot ketchup from two tables down at them. 

The jock had very good aim, and the amount of ketchup that he was able to get into all of their hair was definitely impressive. It had gotten _everywhere_ , in their hair, in their ears, in their eyes, on their clothes, even in their _pants_ somehow. It had taken all of Danny's hot water, and a ridiculous amount of soap, to get all of it out.

Needless to say, they don't go to the Nasty Burger for lunch anymore, that was the hangout spot for most A-listers, and they were bad company anyway. So now they spent their lunch at Babe's, the second highest rated fast food restaurant in Amity Park. Thank's to their fat paychecks every three weeks for the three songs they had already published together, eating out for lunch every day didn't get as expensive as it did for most kids in school.

"You have the song we made Danny?" Tucker asked as they sat down to wait for their burgers to come to them. Phantom and Sam both sat on the inside of the booth nearest the window, and Tucker sat across from Danny.

"Ye-up! Got it right here," He pulled out the disk titled 'Kiss the Girl' from the side pocket of his backpack just to show his best dude friend that he had it, before slipping it back inside to keep from losing it.

"This one's going to be the biggest hit since 'Every Breath You Take,'" Sam said with an appreciative smile on her face.

Danny smiled at the mention of his favorite song yet. He had made it in dedication to Phantom, in a reflection of how they met, and how psychotic the merman had been towards Danny at first. The whole song was sinister by nature, just like Phantom. It was romantic, in the darkest and most stalkerish way Danny could possibly make it. Danny thought that he nailed Phantom's personality in the song, and was proud of the way it came out. It had even sent visible chills down his father's spine when he first listened to the finished product, and as Danny hoped, all Jack could say about the song was that it was "dark and daunting."

This next one that Danny was prepared to turn-in to the radio office today after school was meant to be endearing and seductive, in a positive and romantic minor key that people would hopefully want to dance to. Sure, it was a tiny bit shorter than the other ones, but what the song lacked in length, it made up for in climactic beauty. 

The school was having a hard time handling that there was a very attractive musical artist roaming their halls, and girls often whispered and fawned over Phantom when he got close. His music was very popular, and even Danny had been recognized around the school for his artistic ability. 

It wasn't until recently that Danny realized that he and Phantom shared a lot of the same features, like the shape of their nose, their lips, head, cheeks, and their ears. Even their skin color was oddly similar. The only differences were their hair and eye color, personality, and body build. Though the girls weren't as attracted to Danny as they were the merman, who had admitted that he allowed a slight bit of hypnotic power into the songs to get more attention. 

Danny had tried to tell him that it wasn't morally correct to hypnotize people that way, but the merman insisted that he only used enough to make his voice stand out and that the humans could pull away if they wished. The raven only relented because he himself was gay, and he could hear, and feel, the effects from the merman's singing, and knew that he wasn't lying.

Still, any female that listened to his music on a daily basis had the hots for Phantom, much to Danny's irritation. It didn't help that the merman leaked pheromones like a cat in heat, and anyone close to him who was attracted to men could feel an interested pull towards him. Then there was the fact that he was also so damn _gorgeous,_ as if he was sculpted by the goddess Aphrodite herself with all the love and beauty she could muster. 

It was almost funny to watch all the heads turn in the merman's direction as he passes, almost. Of course, Danny would often get jealous and angry at the stares that Phantom would get.

No matter, Danny always told himself, because Phantom still has yet to show any interest in _any_ human, other than him.

The merman was warming up to Sam and Tucker though, Danny had noticed. Phantom often joked and participated in the conversations that the trio would have during lunch. It was nice to know that Phantom appreciated the two's existence, and even nicer to know that the merman could learn to socialize with people other than Danny.

When lunch was nearly over, Danny drove them all back to school and parked in a parking space behind the gym. He had PE last and knew that he would have to shower after class to be presentable for the meeting at the radio office. He wouldn't want to smell like sweat while he waited in the lobby to be greeted by Calvin. 

This parking lot was usually vacated, aside from the coaches own car, and Danny liked that it was conveniently by the exit from the boy's locker room. He could always go straight to his car and go wherever he wanted to go, which the lazy part of him appreciated.

Gym was the only class that he didn't have with Phantom, who was somewhere on the other side of the school in home-ec, passed the cafeteria. Danny had gotten him into home economics because he thought that it would teach Phantom important things like nutrition, health, personal finance, family resource management, and planning for college. All of which Phantom lacked in knowledge of. Besides, due to the allergy they had put on Phantoms record, he wasn't allowed to participate in gym anyway.

Danny had waited in the gym, like always when he knows he needs to shower. On normal days, Danny would just go home and shower, because he was much too modest and shy to shower boys locker room for fear someone would see him, but today he wouldn't have time to go home. He had somewhere to be in about 40 minutes, and he didn't like to be late. 

The coach gave Danny the key so he could lock the locker room door when he was done, and so he could go home like the rest of the students to get ready for his second job. Danny took it, promising he would leave the key behind the brick outside where he usually left it after times like this.

When the locker room was vacated, and all the students had gone home for the day, Danny walked in to take his own shower. 

He sighed at the privacy of the empty locker room and walked over to his locker. He grabbed his towel and his 3 in one soap and went over to turn on the hot water. The room had rows and halls of lockers formed in the shape of an E, and his locker was between two of the rows closer to the showers. Which were in the back of the room by the back door that he would be exiting out of after he was done.

He took off his clothes and put on his sandals so that he wouldn't have to be barefoot on the suspicious looking shower tile, and just before he stepped into the hot water, he put some music on his phone. The sound of Phantom's voice filled the locker room, soothing Danny's nerves and making the time seem to go by quickly.

_"Every breath you take, every move you make._ _Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you."_

The tone was eery and inspired a feeling of beguil to anyone who listened, but it was beautiful, and only made Danny happy as the minutes passed and he cleaned himself.

Suddenly the boy heard something, like the doors opening across the room, but he couldn't be sure. It was quiet, barely noticeable, and he wasn't sure if it was just the generator or not. He turned off the water and looked over at the entrance on the other end locker room. It didn't appear to have moved an inch, had he imagined the noise?

"Hello?" Danny called as he paused the music, "Anyone there?" He hoped not; he was fully naked. 

The room was quiet, and after listening for a response and getting none, Danny shrugged. Surely if someone was there they would respond, right? Or he would at least hear someone shuffling by their locker. There was nothing, so the noise must have been what he thought; the generator.

He was done with his shower anyway, so he grabbed his towel and wrapped himself up with it. 

Grabbing his clothes, Danny walked back to his locker, taking off his sandals as he went and shoving them into the small metal cubby.

Danny was just about to take off the towel so he could put on his clothes when something shoved him from behind.

"Arg!" He screamed in pain when his face was shoved into a closed locker in front of him. Someone was holding him there by the back of the neck, and they were too strong for him to turn around to see who had attacked him. 

A napkin was being shoved into his mouth, but by the time it occurred to him to bite the fingers that gagged him, his mouth was already too stuffed to do so. 

The bondage didn't stop there though, because as soon as Danny's capability to scream was taken away, his attacker pressed his elbow on the boy's neck. Keeping the raven's face firmly planted against the locker so they could use both hands to tie Danny's flailing wrists together with a rope. The boy moaned in pain when his arms were pulled up at an awkward angle so that his attacker could both hold him still and tie a knot at the same time.

Danny grunted and tried to force the napkin out of his mouth with his tongue, but it was no use, the thing was practically jammed down his throat. 

What was this? Was this a kidnapper? Was he about to get stolen away to be murdered in some dark ally? Or was this some elaborate prank being done to him by a vengeful Dash? He panted through his nose as his mind screeched to figure out what was going on. 

He didn't have to wait long to see whoever was behind him, because whoever it was forced him to turn around. 

Terrified blue eyes met sadistic turquoise ones, but Vlad man didn't wait for even a second to shove Danny backward painfully by the neck. Pain exploded behind the raven's eyes as the back of his head collided with the padlock behind him, and Vlad ripped the towel that covered Danny's lower half away. 

Danny's eyes widened in fear as the reality of the situation hit him harder than the locker did. 

He was alone.

His friends expected him to be halfway to the radio office by now.

This side of the school was completely vacant of any student or teacher.

No one would hear him scream.

And Vlad was unbuckling his belt.

He started struggling harder, trying to get out of the grip on his throat, and screaming through the gag as Vlad forced his legs apart. Danny shook his head and begged with his watery eyes for the older man to let him go, but Vlad was ruthless and ignored the pleading look he was getting from the petrified teenager. 

The boy wiggled his shoulders to try and break the hold on his neck, but that did nothing but make him lose more and more oxygen. Danny felt vulnerable, _naked_ , and every bit out of his mind as he tried to think of a way out of this. He was literally going to get raped right now, _today_ , this _minute_ if he didn't do something to save himself.

"Stop struggling, this will go so much faster." The evil man muttered as aligned himself, and Danny really started to freak with panic. He could feel Vlad at his entrance, and he did not want to feel it anymore. He needed help, someone needed to help him. Vlad was too strong...

Danny fought to break free from the rope binding his wrists together, wishing that he had paid a little more attention to the noise that he had heard earlier. This was all his fault, this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been so careless. He _knew_ that Vlad was in the school, he should have seen this coming. 

He shut his eyes and prepared to have everything taken away from him, maybe if he kept them closed, he could pretend this was just a horrible nightmare.

Suddenly, the tight grip on his throat was gone, and Danny fell to his knees on the ground, panting harshly as much needed oxygen filled his panicking lungs.

It took him a moment to register the sound of inhuman, animalistic growls a few feet away, but when he did, he looked up to see that Phantom was actively ripping Vlad apart. His eyes glowed a fierce fiery red and burned hotter than an erupting volcano, as sharp elongated teeth tore holes in Vlad's throat. 

Danny's tear-filled eyes widened at the scene before him. Vlad was being held down as blood gushed from the multiple open wounds that now covered his body. Phantom was the embodiment of evil, and sadism, as he slowly and painfully tore the _almost_ rapist apart. When the merman finally noticed that Danny was watching, he got up and dragged Vlad away to a small corner where Danny couldn't see.

All Danny registered after that, as he stared ahead at the wall in shock of the events, was the sound of growls and gurgles. He knew that Vlad was dead, knew that his life would change after this day, and knew that things would never be the same if anyone found out about this.

Phantom then appeared from around the wall that he disappeared behind, soaking wet with blood that was in his hair, on his neck and hands, all over his face, and on his clothes. He was completely stained with red and, but he looked much more inhuman than Danny was used to as the merman ran over to the locker room entrance and locked it.

When he approached Danny, he tried to read his mind, but the boy seemed to be in complete shock because there were so many thoughts rushing through his head that he couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking.

He got down on his knees and handed Danny the discarded towel, taking the napkin out of his mouth and using his sharp teeth to break the rope holding the kid's wrists together. He knew that Vlad hadn't done what he had come there to do, so aside from a few bruises, and a bad mental breakdown, Danny was unharmed.

Phantom grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and called Sam and Tucker in a group chat as Danny covered himself with the towel.

Sam was the first to answer, "Wow, Phantom, I never thought you would actually use the phone we got you."

"Shut up," Phantom said coldly, too angry to bother with small talk. "I need you and Tucker to come to the boy's locker room, and make sure nobody sees you. Vlad just tried to rape Danny, and I murdered the fuck out of him behind the lockers."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed.

"Hurry the fuck up. I'm not joking, the douchbag is lying dead in a pool of blood."

"Oh-Okay, we'll be there in ten minutes, don't move the body."

Phantom hung up and looked down at Danny, who was still staring at nothing, it didn't help anything either, that the boy had two head injuries and a concussion. He looked up at the still open locker with all of Danny's stuff and stepped over to it, grabbing the raven's clothes. 

"Come on Danny, you need to get your clothes on," Phantom said as he helped a vacant-looking Danny put his shirt on. He groaned with the effort of staying patient as he put Danny's unresponsive arms through the armholes of his shirt before he finally got it in place. He then got up and grabbed Danny's pants, not bothering with his boxers, and dragged the kid up. He was like dead weight in Phantom's arms, but somehow, after much struggling, he was able to get the dizzy kid fully clothed. 

As promised, ten minutes after he hung up on Sam, he could smell them coming.

He opened up the back door for them and they entered the scene with disgust. The smell of blood was a vial, and right as they entered, they could see how mutilated Vlad's body was. It looked just like something from the walking dead.

Sam put down the blue plastic tarp, as Tucker handed Phantom the bleach before running over to Danny. The goth and the merman got to work on the body as tech nerd snapped his fingers in front of Danny's face. 

"Dude, say something." He said to his childhood best friend.

But Danny didn't say anything, and though Tucker was kneeling right in front of him, it didn't look as though the kid could actually see him.

The blank look in his eyes scared the shit out of Tucker.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Can you belief this still isn't the shit storm?
> 
> You don't hate me, do you?
> 
> Yes?
> 
> Okay... *Stares down at hands in lap, feeling only a little ashamed*


	22. Hysterics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited.

It took hours for them to clean up the mess, and even more hours for them to drive to the outskirts of town, miles away from any owned land or property. 

Someone had already texted their parents on each of their phones that they would be out a little past curfew, and to not wait up for them. That they were watching a movie and would be getting food afterward before going home. Each of their parents had bought it, either letting them do what they want or scolding them not to let the late nights become a habit.

Sam drove, her mind going a mile a minute as she made absolutely sure not to break any driving laws. She didn't even want to _think_ about having to deal with a policeman while a corpse lay hidden in the trunk.

 _How did they get into this mess?_ Sam and Tucker wondered. Yesterday, their biggest concern was exams, or never finding "the one" and now, here they were covering up a murder! How had things escalated this quickly? 

Danny was still in shock, so he hadn't explained what happened, and the only information they had, was what Phantom had said over the phone when he called them. In the span of ten minutes, they had made themselves into accomplices. One the getaway driver, and the other currently hacking into the school system to delete all video footage of that week.

Was it worth it?

Sam shook her head, of course, it was. Phantom may be emotionally impaired, but he was their friend, and they couldn't just let someone find out about him being a merman. Not only would they never see Phantom _ever_ again if the authorities found out about this, but the merman's life would literally be a living hell if scientists and researchers got a hold of him. 

They wouldn't let that happen to him, no matter how stuck up the merman was; nobody deserved to go through the kind of torture that the government would put on Phantom if he was found out. They knew that the raven would be absolutely crushed if Phantom was taken away by scientists, as well. They weren't positive about just how close the two were, but if the love bites that they caught littering his neck were anything to go by, they had their suspicions.

Phantom was in the back seat, massaging the tense nerves out of Danny's shoulders as the kid rested in his lap. The raven hadn't said a word during the who ordeal, but Phantom could hear him thinking. He had calmed down a lot since the merman first saved him, so now at least his thoughts weren't so mushed together like a mess of tangled necklace chains, as they were a few hours before. 

All the kid was doing was reminiscing about life back when he was a younger child, back when his mother still loved his father, and their family was still happy. Phantom could smell that the kid wasn't unhappy that Vlad was dead, not that Danny would admit it to himself, but the merman knew that he had felt nothing but loathing towards Vlad for years now. 

Phantom would even bet that the raven wished that Vlad never existed in the first place.

It was night time by the time they found a good spot to dump the body, and when Sam parked near a swamp, she turned off the car and unlocked the trunk.

"Phantom? Are you going to help?" Tucker asked as he grabbed a flashlight, breath visible in the 30 degrees cold.

"Can't," he said snarkily, Tucker should know this already, "It's too wet out there in that swamp, I'll pop a tail as soon as a spec of mud touches me. I'll keep Danny warm."

Tucker didn't respond, just shut the door, and Phantom knew that he was scolding himself for asking such a dumb question. Both him and Sam got to work opening the trunk and pulling the body out. Vlad was much heavier than he had looked, and without Phantom's help, like they had when getting him in the trunk at school, the dead man seemed to weigh a ton. Their feet dug in the mud with the effort of holding the body up, and they were both glad they were conveniently wearing old shoes that they didn't mind throwing out.

They carefully brought the body over to the swamp water, looking around to make sure they weren't about to get bit by any amphibians, the lights from Danny's car illuminated the area around them enough that they were confident they would see something coming towards them. 

Far away they could see what looked like alligators swimming slowly in their direction, curious. However, they looked to be far enough away to keep the kids from freaking out at their presence too much.

That was good at least, they thought, the alligators were sure to destroy the evidence in no time. They carefully opened the blue wrap from around the body and allowed Vlad to roll out into the water, and at a brief glance up, Sam's eyes widened. 

She pat Tucker's shoulder insistently, "Crocodile, there's a crocodile, time to go." It had been hiding under the water, appearing only after the body was apparently dumped on its head. Suddenly what they thought were alligators swimming towards them were now much closer, and much larger than before, and recognition dawn on them. They needed to get out of there quickly before they became this swamp full of croc's next meal. Whatever was left of Vlad's body would surely not be enough to distract them all.

The threat of getting eaten themselves was now too close for comfort, and the two teens had no choice but to abandon their task and rush themselves into the car when the nearest crocodile opened its mouth and hissed, coming towards them. 

Carefully avoiding the snakes that seemed to appear out of nowhere through the commotion, Sam and Tuck threw themselves into the car and shut their doors quickly, driving away and back onto the road in no time.

Their shoes were so wet and muddy, and they knew that they would have to get rid of them before they got home, and they would have to give Danny's car a wash as well. The amount of dirt and grime would be too hard to explain away to people if they returned this way.

So that's what they did, hours later when they returned back to Amity Park, they bid their shoes farewell and put five dollars in the machine to wash Danny's car while the mud was still sort of wet.

It wasn't until 11 pm did they finally return Danny home, and they allowed Phantom to take to boy up to his bathroom while they prepared the raven something hot to eat.

When they finished preparing Danny a cup of his lavender tea and a bowl of chicken noodle soup, they both headed upstairs to check on their friend.

Phantom was in the bathtub with Danny in his merman form, washing the dirt out of his raven hair, and both teens had to pause for a second or two just to admire Phantom. This was the first time they had ever seen him in his true form, and they had to admit they understood why Danny adored him so much; he really was the prettiest thing they had ever seen.

The merman was humming softly to sooth Danny's nerves as he gently scrubbed the human's body with a loofa, and the other teens in the room calmed considerably from the slightly hypnotic tone. Tucker still didn't understand how Phantom affected him as he did every straight girl and homosexual guy, as he himself was straight, but at the moment he didn't care; he needed to calm down just like everyone else. Phantom's mesmerizing voice did the trick, so he didn't mind the power over him for the time being.

Danny seemed to respond when Tucker held the warm cup of tea under his nose, the aroma of lavender causing him to wake up from his shock a bit. They were all relieved when Danny lifted his hands and reached for the cup in front of him, taking a few careful sips at the tea. 

"Danny? We made you some soup," Sam handed the boy the bowl, and Danny set the tea aside on the porcelain wall of the tub, grabbed the spoon, and started shoveling chicken and noodles into his mouth.

That was good, Danny was awake enough to eat and drink now. Whatever Phantom had done between the time they last saw him and now, whether it be the manipulatingly soothing music he played from his own throat, or the hot bath and catering, it worked wonders on calming the raven down. 

Now that Danny was clean, Phantom told two teens to help Danny out and get dressed so that he could wash the blood off himself. Both friends did, taking the mug and bowl from him just long enough to get him out of the tub and into some clothes.

Danny now sat on the bed between each of his friends, Sam holding his tea while he ate his soup.

"Are you going to be okay, Danny?" Sam asked gently, they still didn't know much about what happened, but that could wait for a later day. As long as Danny would get better.

This was the first thing he had said to them the whole time, "I'll be fine." It was barely a whisper.

"Do you want us to stay, dude? We don't mind." Danny didn't make eye contact with Tucker, though they were both hoping he would look one of them in the eyes. It was unnerving that he didn't even look up from his bowl at them.

"Nah," he said this a little louder. _Good_ , _he's making progress_ , "You don't have to, I'll be okay, I just want to sleep."

They nodded, and when Phantom came into the room in nothing but a towel to walk over to the dresser for clothes, Sam and Tucker blushed, trying to look anywhere but at the merman.

"Okay man, well if you're sure..." Tucker offered company one last time, but Danny finally looked up at his teal eyes and refused with a small grin.

"Nah, thank's guys, you're the best. I promise I'll tell you what happened tomorrow."

They nodded, obvious concern still lingering in their eyes, but they got up and left after that.

But, not before Phantom stopped them on their way out the front door, "Hey!"

Sam and Tucker turned around and regarded Phantom with curious glances.

"Um," the merman said, "I'm new to all this, and though I don't regret killing Vlad, at all." Sam and Tucker shivered, knowing just how capable Phantom was of murder now. Before today, it had just been a thought, like yes, Phantom was a merman, but they hadn't expected him to still possess so much of what they saw that day when the scuba divers were left behind. For some reason, they thought that because he was now human, he would possess a little more humanity than the dark creatures they had seen. However, today's events reminded them just how threatening and dangerous Phantom really could be.

Phantom paused when he heard their thoughts, feeling oddly sad they were scared of him now. "I just wanted to say, that I'm feeling grateful. I would probably be in deep shit if it weren't for you guys."

They looked surprised like they didn't know Phantom was capable of being thankful. The merman didn't blame them, just a few weeks ago he himself didn't know either. He was slowly learning, and he was no longer sure that he could deny that he would ever feel the things Danny wished him to.

"Hey, no problem, man, you're our friend, too. We got your back." Tucker said while Sam nodded. They looked glad that Phantom could manage thanks, especially now that they were literally putting their necks on the line for him. Phantom knew that they now felt a little relieved, like their efforts today weren't all for an ungrateful merman who didn't appreciate them.

Phantom let them leave after that, and he went upstairs to find that Danny was now covered in his comforter with an empty mug and bowl sitting on the nightstand next to him. The boy was still awake, and the merman knew it as soon as he entered to room.

He quietly approached the bed and got in under the covers, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. No sooner did the merman get comfortable was Danny scooting over closer to him, and Phantom looked down in surprise to see an arm wrapped around his stomach with Danny's head upon his chest. They didn't usually cuddle like this, only after sex, but Phantom put an arm around the boy anyway, hearing that the kid needed comfort and was seeking it out.

Phantom shut his eyes, focusing on the sound of Danny's heartbeat as it slowly and steadily beat against the boy's chest. The soft _"bud-ump, bud-ump"_  soothing stressed nerves that he didn't know he had.

"Thank you," Danny whispered against his chest, knowing that even though he was barely whispering, Phantom could still hear him with that super hearing of his. "Thank you for saving me today. I was so scared that he was going to..." He couldn't even finish the sentence as a fresh tear escaped his closed eye and dripped onto the merman's bare chest. His body shook in the memory of what almost happened.

Phantom didn't say anything at first, just rubbed small circled in the back of Danny's neck with the tips of his fingers, allowing his nails to elongate just a little. He had learned long ago that this took away a lot of the boy's anxiety, and released the tension that seemed to make him uncomfortable.

"Don't mention it, Danny, he can't hurt you anymore," Phantom said gently to try and calm him back down.

"I never got a chance to thank you for saving my father," the boy said suddenly as he leaned up to kiss the merman's lips softly, "and for releasing me." He dragged a hand up Phantom's bare chest until he was cupping his cheek and brushing a thumb across his bottom lip. "I know that must have been difficult for you, considering. So, thank you, Phantom."

A surprising warmth spread in the merman's chest, and he kissed the human one last time slowly, _tenderly_ , before telling him to get some sleep.

The human did, with his face buried snugly in Phantom's neck and his arm holding the merman as close as possible.

Phantom stayed awake for a short while longer than Danny did, continuing to listen to his heartbeat, and feeling the hot breath brush across his neck every time the boy breathed. He pets his human's head, adoring how soft the black strands of hair were as his fingers brushed against them. 

Danny smelt so good as his skin incensed the lavender that he drank earlier. The adoration and ease he felt, along with the milk and honey body shampoo and marshmallow scented lotion he used made him smell like pure human seduction. If the word irresistible had a smell, it would be Danny, and Phantom didn't think he would ever get tired of it.

He was okay with this life, the merman figures out, as long as he could end every day just like this. With Danny snug against him, warm and feeling every bit as devoted to the merman as he was now.

The merman kissed his forehead before falling asleep, too.

 


	23. Record

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeeeey.
> 
> So the last chapter was super short, but that's okay because I'm making it up to you with a super long and informational chapter. Yaaay.
> 
> I got Grammarly! A computer app that works better than spell check. (Not sponsored). Hopefully, now my grammar will be better.
> 
> I've never been to a concert, but I've seen them on Alvin and the Chipmunks, so I went off of that, but if the setting is wrong then forgive me.

The big room filled with the scent of thousands of sweaty bodies all pressing together in a flurry of excitement and arousal. You could hardly move your feet without stepping on someone and the amount of movement in the commotion made the room much hotter than it was.

Phantom stood on stage clad in black leather pants with his sleeveless leather jacket, a lime green ascot complementing his eyes and hair. The lights that flashed above his head made his white hair appear to change color as combinations of red, blue, and purple reflected off of it.

"Sha lalalalala my oh my, look at the boy too shy, he ain't gonna kiss the girl. Sha lalalalala ain't that sad? It's a shame, too bad, he's gonna miss the girl."

The crowd in front of his screamed their appreciation for his voice, and he humored a few of the prettier ones with winks and eye contact. "Anything for a little more money and fame," their agent had said, "The more they love you, the more money they will spend on you." He didn't know much about how the economic system worked or much about human socialization, really, so he just did as he was told. 

The day after they murdered Vlad, Danny had called the radio house to blather an excuse for missing the appointment the day before. They forgave him easily, though, since he was so popular and made them drooling amounts of money with his songs, so they agreed to meet him later for lunch that day. A few days after that appointment and the board of music had heard the song, they called Danny and told him that they could hook him up with a concert. 

The boy had been ecstatic at the idea and immediately agreed. Soon after that, they were signing a contract with an agent, a few lawyers, and then they were booked a gig for a few weeks into the future. Sam agreed to be the DJ, as was her specialty, and Tucker was their tech guy. Danny was offered a team of professionals to handle the two jobs, but Danny refused to have anyone but Sam and Tucker working the controls.

"Sha lalalalala don't be scared, you got the most prepared, go on and kiss the girl. Sha lalalalala don't stop now, don't try to hide it, how you wanna kiss the girl."

Phantom carefully manipulated hypnosis into his voice, not putting them under his spell too harshly, but still influencing a considerable amount of adoration in their brains. He was on his third song, one of his own personal favorites simply because it stood out from all of Danny's other songs, and he had three more to go. He was getting hot and he knew that he would need to take a good few minute cooling off during half time.

"Float along, listen to the song. The song say, 'Kiss the girl'. Sha lalalalala music play, do what the music say, go on and kiss the girl."

Danny stood backstage watching with an overly happy grin as he stared at the object of his felicity. He would be forever grateful that Phantom did for him what he couldn't do for himself, and that was making his songs loved and known by many. The raven stared at the back of Phantom's pixie cut as the older boy sang through the climax of the last song before half time. Phantom didn't seem to know it, but he really has done so much for Danny in such a short period of time...

Phantom was panting and out of breath by the time he met with Danny once the song ended, and the raven quickly grabbed his hand, leading him to the 50-degree room he had set up with drinks and snacks for the merman.

The partial demon snatched a water bottle from Danny's grasp and chugged half of it in 2 flat seconds.

"You okay?" Danny asked in concern for the red flush that Phantom had across his cheeks, deciding they couldn't make these concerts a big habit.

Phantom nodded and set the now empty water bottle down, "I'm fine, I just need to cool off for a bit."

The Raven nodded, "You want a sandwich? Is that one water enough, or do you want another?"

"Another." within a second, Danny had produced another water bottle. Phantom drank that one much slower and the redness was disappearing from his face, making Danny's shoulders relax in relief.

"You think you can handle the last 15 minutes? I can tell Mr. Dombil Doore to call it off if you want." His blue eyes were glimmering with care, reflecting the compassion and regard he had for the merman's comfort and health.

"Nah, I can handle it, precious." He smirked at the younger boy, using the nickname he had given him when they first met and he still had the raven in captivity. He watched as the boy blushed, and Phantom wondered once again what he had done to the kid's psyche to make him find the memory of imprisonment kinky.

They had each agreed to pretend like what happened to Vlad never happened. After hearing from Danny what had actually happened the day after the murder, Tucker and Sam agreed that the pathetic excuse for a life deserved to be killed. None of them had spoken a word about the event since then, they would keep it a secret and never let anyone find out. They could get in real trouble if anyone were to figure out what happened, and they were glad that Vlad wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Nobody but Maddie missed him. 

They made 250 grand from the concert alone, and with their first CD published with the 10 songs that they had made together, they made a total of nearly 150,000, each, in that month alone. They were practically bleeding money and they all knew that they would be set no matter what their plans for the future were. It was refreshing to have this sort of stability, and Danny made sure to give a considerable amount to his father and share the glory. 

Both his parents were proud of him, even Maddie who didn't see much money from Danny at all, not that she minded. She was a fully grown independent woman and didn't need her son to provide for her, no matter how stressful the situation was now that Vlad had vanished and left her alone. 

After Vlad never returned from school that day over a month ago, she had filed a missing person report and then left to stay with her sister. She didn't have access to any of Vlad's fortune so she only had the few hundred dollars in her pocket to get her to her sister's house, and she would have to find a job soon. 

As far as she knew, the police hadn't found Vlad, and she knew from experience they would give up the search and pronounce him dead. Hopefully, though, Vlad had the same luck Danny did and would eventually find himself home from wherever he was.

...

Danny and Phantom had just come home from the dealership. They had taken Tucker with them to help keep from getting scammed out of too much money, but Danny wanted Phantom to have a car. They had set the albino up with a good deal and a very nice car with some killer upgrades, and if things went as planned, the car would be his by the end of the week.

However, when Danny and Phantom walked in the door after dropping Tucker off at home, their happy attitude was quickly set on fire when they laid eyes on two FBI agents sitting on the living room couch with Jack.

The orange-clad Fenton looked like a complete wreck and Danny was immediately worried. Was this about Vlad? Had they been caught? Were they going to jail?

_**Relax, Fenton, they aren't here for you**. _ He heard Phantom speak into his head, and though he trusted that the merman could hear what everyone was thinking, his worry didn't disappear as he regarded his dad with a concerned expression. 

"Dad, everything okay?" he asked tentatively, stressed under the pressure of the police's eyes on him.

Jack gave his son the fakest smile the boy had ever seen, "Of course, Danny-boy, why don't you go upstairs and finish your homework while I talk to the nice men."

Danny remained anxious, and Jack nodded to Phantom, silently asking the older teen to take Danny upstairs. Phantom did, gently grabbing onto Danny's upper arm and leading him over to the stairs, "Come on Danny, I need help with calculus." He didn't.

It took a moment of hesitation as the purposeful silence from the room choked Danny with worry, but eventually, the boy was following the merman up the stairs into their shared bedroom.

"What's going on?" He asked Phantom as soon as the boy closed the bedroom door.

Phantom looked over at Danny, hearing the conversation downstairs as clearly as though he was in there himself. He knew that the police were discussing what they had found in Vlad's house, and knew that it was making Danny's father sick to his stomach, but he didn't feel he should be the one to tell Danny just how disgusting Vlad was. He had a feeling Jack would be telling the kid anyways, and Danny was a bad actor and wouldn't be able to pretend like he didn't already know about the cameras that had recorded him for so long. Phantom needed to keep this one, for now, otherwise, they would either raise suspicion, or it would look really bad for Danny.

"Don't worry about it, precious. They don't suspect that Vlad was murdered." He promised, walking over to their backpacks to pick out their homework. They did need to do it, it was due tomorrow. "Come on, you need to finish your chemistry, and your English too."

Danny quietly fallowed Phantom over to the bed, still asking silent questions and nervous about the authority downstairs. He was handed his books and he opened up to the assigned pages, starting to write down the problems and the solutions. 

Eventually, he lost all focus on the problems in front of him and he glanced up at the embodiment of all things sultry. His nervousness was forgotten as curiosity made a home in his head. He had been meaning to ask but hadn't found the right time or place. 

Danny bit the end of his pen as he watched Phantom's green eyes look up at him from his own homework. The boy with white hair gave Danny a pointed look, knowing that he had a crapload of questions on the tip of his tongue waiting to be voiced.

"So, do merpeople eat anything other than humans?" he inquired aloud, his curiosity shining in his pretty blue eyes.

"Yes. We can eat anything that has a heartbeat, but the only thing that is sustainable is humans. It takes us about 2 weeks to get hungry, and about a year to starve to death." Phantom multitasked answering the question and solving the calculus equations from the assigned pages.

"Wow, so you've really killed a lot of people, yeah?" He asked with a shiver, unsure if he found the information exciting, worrisome, or both. So that's why he fed on Danny so much back then. Then something became quite alarming to Danny. It had been at over a month since Phantom last fed, why wasn't he keeping up with his diet if it caused him so much pain not to?

He would have to take care of that, later though. "Do merpeople mate?"

"We can, but it's not romantic like you may think, silly boy. We mostly do it to assert dominance, or to claim territory. Not a lot of merpeople do it, but those that do have multiple mates and are very stuck up. It can only be done by alphas though." He was nearly done with his calculus and would be moving onto his art history project in a few minutes.

"Where do babies come from?" He never thought he would be asking that question with so much interest, not after the last time... _shiver_. 

"Well, typically alphas are instinctually drawn to eggs left behind by an omega mermaid who laid it during their heat."

Danny's eyes gleamed at the mention if alpha-omega dynamics. He had read about them in stories, fanfictions, and movies and was glad that he understood something about Phantom even if it was small. "Instinctually drawn? Doesn't that mean that you have the instinct to care about your kids?"

_Oh, Danny... Your naivety continues to surprise me_. "No," he shot down the hopefulness in the boy's eyes, "Usually, the egg grows and hatches and the baby has to survive in the ocean by itself. Merpeople don't have any care for the young and we don't coddle and protect them as humans do. If they survive by themselves into adulthood, then they disserve to live."

Danny grimaced at Phantom's off-handed explanation, "You just leave helpless children to fend for themselves?" He thought about Phantom as a small defenseless cub, alone in the vast ocean and having to take care of himself. "That sounds so lonely."

Phantom considered Danny, he had never really thought about it. "I suppose it is. We aren't the only species that does this though. Many aquatic species live by that lifestyle, it isn't so uncommon." He didn't know why he felt the need to explain his species cruelty to their young, it was a natural thing and was not unacceptable to his kind.

If Danny had dog ears, Phantom was sure they would be drooping. "I guess." he twiddled his thumbs, staring down at his discarded homework, knowing he would be regretting his decision to forget about it later. A new question popped into his head and he looked back up at Phantom who was opening up his history book. "Why did Hades create merpeople?"

"Purely because he doesn't like that he can't rule humans if they aren't dead and basically sociopathic. He doesn't handle humans who don't lack humanity or don't deserve to rot in the underworld for eternity. With us around, the underworld gets new souls every day because we steal them for him to rule. It's what we were created to do, and its all we live for." He started brainstorming ideas for his project and wrote them on a scrap piece of paper as he answered Danny's questions.

Danny shuddered at the revelation that if Phantom had killed him, he would have actually, _legitimately_ , gone to hell. He looked at the siren's eyes even though he wasn't looking back but down at his writing. What had he done...?

"Why is Hades punishing you, Phantom?" it had been grating on his thoughts ever since Phantom first said that he was being punished. The merman had never told him, but he hadn't really asked since that first day.

The merman looked up, meeting Danny's eyes with an unreadable expression. "Because you are alive."

Complete utter confusion morphed into Danny, what did his life have to do with it?

Phantom started elaborating. "He's punishing me because I wouldn't kill you."

Danny tilted his head, still not fully understanding. "What do you mean?" Phantom released him almost a year and a half ago, why was it that Hades had only punished him a few months ago and what did it have to do with him?

Phantom smirked. "I was watching you, you know," he said and Danny's eyes widened. "Every time you came to the beach after I freed you, I was there. Hades told me I had a year to redeem myself and prove that I wasn't feeling any sort of attachment to you by finishing what I started. So I was bound to the beach you visited until I killed you."

Danny shivered once again when Phantom revealed that he had been there watching him the whole time. When he had thought that he was a safe distance from the mermaids. How many chances did Phantom have to kill him? How many times did Danny get within an inch of his life? He recalled all the times he had gone swimming or windsurfing with Sam and Tucker and shuddered at the knowledge that Phantom could have dragged him down at any moment and he wouldn't have known what hit him.

Then he remembered that one night, the one before Phantom showed up on his doorstep when Dash and Quan almost accidentally murdered him. Phantom _had_ been there, he wasn't hallucinating. 

"You chose not to, though." Suddenly the raven was understanding, Phantom was being punished because he felt something for Danny. Something that had prevented him from killing him multiple times. He had done something to Phantom to make him feel human emotion, and to Hades, that was unacceptable. Phantom was being punished because of him, because of what the merman felt for him. 

"You," Danny swallowed, suddenly feeling an intense warmth in his chest as he and Phantom made eye contact, "You chose to spare me, knowing he was going to do this to you. You protected me, even though you had no idea what was going to happen to you once you were human."

A familiar smell his Phantom's nose, a smell he had come to like when he drew it out form Danny. It was sweet, fruity, and flowery all at once. "I don't want to kill you." He admitted.

The raven gave Phantom a long look, cheeks flushing and eyes dilating slightly. The merman couldn't possibly break eye contact from the intense look the boy was throwing at him. The human's scent was powerful and hit Phantom harder than a mad bull, and he couldn't move any farther from Danny if he tried.

"Are you sure you don't know what love is, Phantom?" Danny finally asked after a while of staring.

Phantom nodded, "I'm not capable of love, Danny, I'm a demon whose sole purpose on earth is to viciously slaughter humans."

Danny blinked and looked at the merman's lips, "You didn't viciously slaughter me, though."

The merman continued to stare at the content glimmer in the boy's blue eyes, knowing that the kid was actively losing focus on everything around him. "You're an exception."

Suddenly, it was like Danny's lips were magnetized to his, and the boy gravitated towards him as if Phantom was what was tethering him down to Earth. Their homework was smacked out of the way as the raven crawled his way over to the merman, bringing them closer as their lips danced. Danny held Phantom's face in his hands and kissed him with as much passion as he felt, falling in a sea of joy, lust, love, and fear. It was an alarming mix that filled his entire being and influenced him to kiss Phantom harder, as if letting him go meant he would disappear forever. 

Soon though, the merman forced them to stop to breathe, and they sat there staring at each other as they caught their breath. Danny was straddling him as he brushed his thumb under Phantom's eye, "Don't you ever leave me, Phantom." The boy said insistently as if the very idea of Phantom leaving tore him apart.

Phantom smirked and wrapped an arm around the human, pulling his body closer, "I've got nowhere to go, dumbass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG GUYS... I am so sorry this took so long. My god. School is literally kicking my ass.
> 
> There is a lot of fluff in this chapter, oof.
> 
> The shit storm starts in the next chapter, though.


	24. Visitor

_**Hey guys, I put Grammarly to good use and went back through all my previous chapters and edited them. So if you're interested in rereading them when they are grammatically correct, then they are now all correct.** _

...

Danny had finally finished his homework, hours later, and was now probably hungrier than Phantom. He was ready to hit the kitchen and cook himself up a giant bowl of cereal and coke, but when he got downstairs, his father was alone in the kitchen eating ice cream with a very big spoon. Music was playing softly from the small radio and Danny knew that he was using it for meditation.

"Dad," Danny stopped midway through the kitchen entrance and asked as he slowly approached his father. The man only ever ate ice cream with a cooking spoon if he was suffering a stressful amount of melancholy. "Are you okay?"

The man looked up at his son with the most helpless expression he had seen his father make in a very long time, and he knew that this couldn't be good.

"Son," Jack put the enormous spoon down into the gallon of ice cream and spoke slowly, "sit, I have something to discuss with you."

The boy sat down slowly, staring at his father in concern and knowing that this had everything to do with the two FBI agents that were there earlier. The chair was cool against the exposed part below his thighs, his black PJ shorts riding up slightly and goosebumps rose on his skin.

"What is it, Dad?" He already knew it had to have something to do with Vlad, he had been reported missing a while ago and he knew that the police had been looking for him for a while.  He had been completely worried earlier that the police were there to accuse someone of murder, but Phantom had already calmed him down with hard logic so he continued to play it cool.

"Son," Jack looked like he was having a hard time figuring out what the right words were to say, so he started out with a question as if the answer would help him get his thoughts together. "Did Vlad ever make you uncomfortable in any way?"

Danny's face curled in confusion, thinking seriously how to answer this. Vlad had always made him uncomfortable ever since he turned 13, and he was positive that Vlad was creepy before then but he only started acknowledging just how creepy he was barely after turning into a teenager. Should he tell his father, now, what he had been wanting to tell and bring to his attention for years? Or should he just play dumb and say that Vlad always treated him as his godson? 

What brought this on anyway? FBI agents show up and _suddenly_ his Dad suspected that Vlad was a creep to him? What gives?

"Um, I mean, uh," Danny was suddenly unable to look his father in the eye, and though he knew that his father could be very dense sometimes, he was positive that his father would take the answer as a yes unless he spoke some real English words. The music playing suddenly felt like it was putting artistic sugar on the confectionary of dread cluttering his mind.

His father wasn't going to just take the implied yes, though, apparently, because he pried a little more, "I mean, did he ever look at you strangely, or touch you in a weird way?"

Immediately, Danny had a very vivid flashback of Vlad's hand around his neck as he aligned himself to his unwilling body. Danny desperately wanted to say yes, because at that moment as he looked into his father's concerned and loving eyes, all he wanted to do was confess what happened. Get it all out. 

"None that I ever thought was horrifyingly inappropriate," he said instead, "sometimes he would look at me funny, but I never thought it was uncomfortable." He could never tell the truth, no one could know what actually happened to Vlad, especially not his father.

Jack would never protect Phantom as Danny would die to do.

Jack looked like the answer relieved a little stress, as if the lie was confirmation that something he was terrified had happened, didn't happen.

Good.

"What is this about, Dad?" Danny asked with newly found confidence, as long as his father didn't suspect that anything went on between him and Vlad, Phantom would still be safe.

Jack sighed, he had not been looking forward to this part of the conversation. How does one tell their son that the godfather they had loved and respected for their whole life had done something so disgusting?

"Danny," Jack reached out a hand and offered emotional support for the trainwreck of horrified shock his son was about to feel. He briefly wondered if he should be telling his son this at all, but quickly shot the idea down. He just felt it in his gut that Danny needed to know what had gone on. Jack himself now felt uncomfortable in his own home and was actively contemplating selling the house for a new one altogether. He had hardly been capable of staying in the same house that his wife had cheated on him in. He could _not_ deal with living in a house that had cameras everywhere and had been watching his son and his ex-wife for the fast few years. "Vlad's mansion was searched a few days ago and they found something horrifying regarding you and your mother."

Danny looked down at the hand that gripped his, bigger and stronger than his own and a troubling feeling invaded his psyche and left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"There is a hidden lab that they found with a bunch of TVs and videotapes. The men that came over today came to tell me that the tapes that they found were of you and your mom." With every word that passed through his father's mouth, Danny's gut seemed to drop more and more as his eyes widened, that bitter taste turning sour as nausea threatened to have him over the trash any second. "It seems that Vlad has been watching you through hidden cameras that were put all over your room," Jack swallowed, "In your bathroom."

Danny thought about all the times he had undressed, slept naked, showered, masturbated... Vlad had been watching all of that. When he thought he was alone, he really wasn't. Vlad, the creep that had been flirting and chasing him around the table for years, had been watching him when he thought he wasn't even in the same state.

Danny's face was probably paler than when he first returned back home after spending most of 6 and a half months under water, but Danny didn't care about that. 

 _ **I took out the cameras in your room Christmas night, they aren't there anymore.** _ Phantom immediately appeased the burning thoughts of his rigged room, and Danny relaxed only a millimeter in the miles of stress he felt over the new information. _So that's what those tiny holes in the walls are from..._

He should have expected that Vlad would abuse the amount of cash that he has. He should have expected a lot of things from Vlad, and he was currently kicking his own ass for naively having faith in the man's humanity. He wished he was wiser, wished he knew better. If he had known then what he knew now, then maybe he could have done something about Vlad before Phantom had to get his hands dirty to save him.

"They found parts of him in a swamp outside of town, they don't think it was an accident but they aren't calling it a murder yet either, though."

It was that sentence that made Danny absolutely sure that he was going to be sick very soon. Danny's eyes widened and he feared that his father could see how much he was panicking. 

They found the body.

They were not supposed to find the body _ever_.

Danny bit his lip and stared down at the hand that covered his on the surface of the table. His body felt heavy and his stomach was rolling with ill emotion, and the heat from the hand wasn't helping. In the span of about two seconds, Danny shot up from his spot in the chair and ran across the distance between him and the kitchen trash where he emptied his stomach. The music playing softly behind the symphony of his vomiting was suddenly less soothing and more mind-numbing to the poor sick boy.

Pain wracked his emotional meltdown with a force that rivaled Niagra falls. He had no idea how so much came out when he hadn't really eaten since noon and it was already 10 pm, then again he never paid that much attention in health class. 

He just did _not_ pay attention to anything, did he?

Just as he thought he was done, he felt a large meaty hand rubbed up against his trembling back and another wave of sick fell. _Thank's, Dad._

"Does Mom know?" He asked when he was sure that his stomach was finally done committing suicide.

Jack shook his head before realizing that Danny's face was still breathing heavily into the trashcan, "No, I don't think so, but I'm going to give her a call. Why don't you go and get some sleep? I can call the school in the morning if you want to stay?"

As much as he would love to take the excuse for the offered sanity day, "I have a test tomorrow, I won't be able to make it up."

_"Ohh Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Ohh Ember, so warm and tender, you will remember my name."_

That song, he had heard it before, earlier in the day. It gave him a headache then too.

"Dad, will you change that song, that girls voice is more annoying than Paulina's perfume." It was true, Paulina's perfume was like knives to your sinuses, just like that singer's voice was like knives to his temples.

"What do you mean?" His Dad responded, though he changed it despite his obvious disagreement, "Her voice is sweeter than honey, I find that song relaxing." when the singers voice was cut off, it was like a ton of pressure lifted from Danny's ears and it was the most relieved he had felt in the last ten minutes.

Danny groaned, knowing that song was going to be on his father's playlist before the night was over if it wasn't already. Hopefully, though, he wouldn't have to ever hear it again.

...

Of course, someone out there wanted Danny to suffer.

_"Ohh Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Ohh Ember, so warm and tender, You will remember my name."_

"Ugh," Danny covered his ears, the tinge of pain hitting him behind his ears and driving him up the wall, "Tucker, don't you have headphones or something?" He hissed at his best friend who was playing the wretched song as if his phone was a Bluetooth radio.

"Are you kidding?" Tucker said in shock, "this song is too sweet for you not to adore, Danny." the slightly older boy smirked, "What, you don't like anything your mythological boyfriend doesn't sing himself?"

"No," Danny said defensively as he opened his locker, but not before he tore away the poster of the newly famous pop star that was for some reason taped to the door, "I listen to other artists, it's just something about that one girl, her voice is like nails being blended in my skull."

Phantom stood a couple of feet away, staring at the poster quietly as he listened to the three friends bicker.

"Her voice isn't _that_ bad," Sam said as she waited for Danny to grab his books, wincing as the textbook he threw into the locker hit the back of it with a loud bang, "It actually helped me fall asleep faster last night."

Danny rolled his eyes and shut his locker, ripping off the torn poster and crumbling it up before throwing it somewhere behind him angrily. Phantom stepped next to him and put a cool hand to Danny's head and the reaction was immediate. 

Danny gave a grateful sigh and pressed his forehead into the other boy's palm, loving how cool it was against his aching nerves and knowing that Phantom was putting a little of his ice energy into his hand. It was the same pleasurable feeling as putting a wet towel to his face and Danny couldn't have had a better nurse.

Phantom gave Danny a whiff.

"Mhm," Danny  felt the irritation peacefully leave his temples, "let's get to lunch, I'm probably just hungry." He proposed when he realized Phantom was sniffing to smell what was wrong.

His friends nodded in agreement at the idea of getting to food faster and lead the way down the hall to the front of the school, however, they didn't make it 10 feet before they heard a loud shout of anger a few feet away.

"Paradise Lost!" Mr. Lancer screamed a couple of feet away when he walked out of his classroom, he seemed to be looking at all the posters and decorations of the same singer that now cluttered the halls of the school. "Where in Great Ceaser's Diary did all this come from?" The out of shape teacher ripped down a giant poster currently covering up his World's Best Teacher campaign poster.

A nerd appeared out of nowhere, the group of four too focused on Mr. Lancer to see the redhead walk up. Mikey threw his hands up in the air excitedly, wearing a blue wig and a black band shirt with a familiar popstar's face on it, "Ember is the hottest chick I've ever seen!" his voice was loud and ear-piercing, "My teenage boy hormones are so wild, she has got to be my soul mate!"

Suddenly loud screams and the boom of an electric guitar could be heard, and while everyone in the hall, including Sam and Tucker, seemed to be overjoyed and excited as they stampeded out the front of the school, Lancer and Danny covered their irritated ears as Ember started singing. The sound of her music could be heard all the way through the doors and down the hall, they could only imagine how loud it was outside.

Phantom was silently cursing.

While Sam and Tucker made their way out of the school to see their current favorite Popstar perform live at their school, Danny, Phantom, and Lancer all had matching aggravated expressions. Danny hissed in irritation and he knew that if his eyes could change color like Phantom's, they would be turning bright red, he was so annoyed. Lancer looked like he was about to lose his shit, as well, at the loud and blaring noise currently invading the normally boring and unenthusiastic school.

_"Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains."_

It wasn't enough for Danny to roll his eyes as he watched students mindlessly cheer for the pop star outside, he rolled his whole head. He could see the pop star from where he stood through the glass front doors. She was pretty, he did have to admit that she was extremely attractive and sort of reminded him of Sam with her goth attire. He just couldn't get past how annoying she was. As if it wasn't enough that she was on repeat on everyone's playlist and he had to have heard the same song at least a billion times in the last 24 hours, no, now she had to show up at his school and drive him crazier than he already was.

_"Ohh, Ember, so warm and tender!"_

Ember made eye contact with Phantom and smiled.

_"You will remember my name."_

Phantom's eyes flashed red in anger.

"Come on," Danny started tugging at Phantom's hand, "We can wait for Sam and Tucker in the car. I'm sure whatever Ember is trying to do will be canceled soon when the school officials escort her out."

Phantom looked at Danny, and the raven flinched back when he saw how red the teen's eyes were, "Whoa, Phantom, I don't want to have my head bitten off." He meant it as a joke but he didn't laugh when he realized that was an actual possibility, "What's the matter?"

The merman's eyes bled back to the neon green that Danny had always admired no matter the circumstances, and the raven breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go." Phantom started to the door. Unfortunately, they would have to exit out the front where all the commotion was to get to Danny's car, and despite the fact that Danny wanted nothing more than to run far away until he never has to hear Ember so much as _hiccup_ again, he had no choice but to fallow the merman out the front.

Danny wanted to facepalm when he caught his father cheering at the front of the crowd, dressed head to toe in Ember merchandise and screaming how much he loves her over her guitar.

Phantom grimaced.

All through lunch, Phantom was quiet. Well, he was normally quite silent, but today he seemed both disinterested in conversation  _and_ irritated.

Danny nudged him after swallowing the food in his mouth, the merman hadn't touched his fish. "Phantom, are you sure you're okay? You have been acting really strange today."

The merman didn't answer at first, instead, he just kept staring out the window as if he was looking for someone. Danny thought that the older boy was going to ignore him completely until Phantom finally spoke. 

"I'm fine, just eat your food, Danny." the raven's heart fluttered at being called by his name, and normally the response would have satisfied him, but Phantom's tone was so offhanded that Danny knew that his mind was in a whole other world at the moment.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other at Phantom's response, looking at Danny and communicating through eye contact that something was definitely up with Phantom. Though they all knew that the merman wasn't the type to spill his thoughts if he didn't want to, so they didn't bother asking.

Danny did, however, stare at Phantom's wary eyes with full concern, and for the millionth time wondered what was going on inside his head.

He stopped staring though when he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket, and he picked it out and opened it up. It was a message from his father.

_"Hi, son! You won't believe who I got to come over for dinner tonight! Why didn't you tell me that Ember and Dan knew each other?! Anyway, I asked her over tonight and she said that she would be here at 7."_

Danny's eyebrows rose as he looked over at Phantom, who was staring at him with a lookout outrage. The raven flinched, but after a second he realized, as the merman dropped his gaze to the text on his phone, that he wasn't mad at Danny but at the apparent visitor that would be coming over.

Well, Danny was annoyed by it too, but Phantom looked livid.

Wait a minute...

"You and Ember know each other?" When had he and Ember had the chance to meet each other? Was Phantom talking to her online? How well did they know each other that Ember was now being invited over to their private home?

Danny looked back up and met Danny's worried blue eyes, immediately knowing that the boy was concerned over his and Ember's relationship. His features softened from the hostility he felt and he lifted a hand up to gently grip the raven's chin. "Yeah I know her, but we are nothing close to friends. In fact, I hate her guts."

Danny blinked and nodded.

When they got back to school, all the Ember decorations had been taken down by the custodial faculty and Ember had already been escorted off the premises.

Danny turned off his car and unlocked the back doors for his friends to exit the car, but before Danny could open his own door, Phantom grabbed his arm. Danny looked at him questioningly but stayed put as Sam and Tucker got out of the car. When Tucker looked at Danny curiously after realizing his best friend wasn't following him, Danny nodded at him. "Give me a minute, Tuck."

The African nodded, "I'll see you in biology."

When Phantom and Danny were alone, Danny waited for Phantom to speak.

"I need you to stay at Sam's tonight," Phantom said out of the blue. He specifically said, Sam, because he knew that her mansion was farther from Fenton works than Tucker's house was. Danny's eyes widened, knowing that it had everything to do with Ember coming over. 

"Why?" possible explanations flashed through his head, and Danny couldn't help but feel extremely possessive. Danny never thought of himself as the jealous type, but the current situation was making him feel vigilant. First, his father exposes the fact that Ember and Phantom know each other, and then Phantom wants Danny out of the house while the female pop star visits his house?

"Hey," Phantom said gently as he grabbed Danny's hands, "I need you to trust me right now Danny." Phantom looked Danny in his suspicious eyes and conveyed his honesty as best as he could.

He could just _tell_ Danny that Ember was another siren that he was positive was sent by Hades to cause trouble. There was no way that the siren would be here on legs and going to Danny's home for any other reason other than to bring trouble.

He chose not to tell Danny though, he didn't want him to feel unsafe. Even though he was absolutely unsafe.

If Ember was here to hurt Danny, and Hades had promised the previously handicapped siren a lasting singing voice if she completed the assignment, then it was probable that she wouldn't stop until the job was done and either him, or Danny, or both, were dead. That meant Phantom would have to get more blood on his hands to protect Danny, and he knew that the raven was already suffering mentally just knowing that he killed one person. 

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Danny asked, and Phantom wished that the situation wasn't so delicate.

Phantom knew that if Hades sent one siren after him and Danny, then he would absolutely send more just to make their lives difficult. He wasn't sure at the moment whether Hades sent Ember after him, or after Danny, or even if she actually intended to kill one of them, but he knew no matter what, Ember would not be the last siren to come after them.

He probably shouldn't let Danny in on the fact that his list of crimes would be getting longer.

"I can't explain, Precious." the merman lifted a hand up and cupped Danny's face, "but if there was ever a time that you needed to trust me, it is right now. Please, Danny, don't come home until I call you." it would just be so much easier if Danny wasn't there to see what was probably going to take place at his house later.

Danny agreed to stay at Sam's for the night, and as soon as he and Phantom were done talking, the raven texted his goth friend for permission - not that he needed it. The merman had felt another wave of gratefulness when Danny agreed, and he had kissed him to let him know how thankful he was that the raven would do as he asked despite not knowing what was going on.

He made sure to catch Danny before he drove to Sam's at the end of the school day though.

Phantom took off his vest and gave it to Danny, now only in a wife beater. "I want you to wear this, and do not take it off under any circumstances." He knew that Ember would have already been tracking the raven's scent, that was the only way she could have found them.

Danny took the vest and looked up at Phantom in confusion, unsure of Phantom's reasoning.

"Put it on," Phantom commanded.

Danny did, but it was slightly uncomfortable due to Phantom's body being slightly more broad and muscular than he was. On Phantom, the vest was almost form fitting as if a tailor stitched it directly onto his body, but on Danny, it sat awkwardly on his frame.

"I mean it, Danny." Phantom's eyes narrowed as he read the raven's thoughts. "You will not take it off for _any_ reason, I don't care how uncomfortable it is. Promise me." He needed to make sure that Ember couldn't smell him, and as he sniffed the air for Danny's scent, he was satisfied to find that he couldn't find it. 

If he couldn't, then neither could Ember.

Danny quickly understood just how serious Phantom was, and he wondered again what the heck was going on. "I promise."

Phantom nodded and seemed to be relieved when Danny promised. the raven stared at Phantom's face, the thought of him possibly cheating was no longer in his head as the reality of Phantom's discomfort became clearly evident.

"Phantom, please tell me what's wrong?" Danny begged as he thought back to Phantom's behavior throughout the day. How Phantom has been quiet, paranoid, and distant. He was obviously worried about something and Danny knew it had everything to do with Ember. Why Phantom wouldn't talk to him about it, though, was beyond him. 

The merman's eyes seemed to soften, and when soft hands lifted up to cup his cheeks, Danny leaned into the touch. Their faces were inches apart and the raven's heart started to beat faster as Phantom inched closer and pressed their foreheads together.

"Don't worry your pretty little head off too much, precious. Just do what I say, and everything will be okay, yes?" he pecked Danny on the nose, glad that there was nobody around in the parking lot, as Danny found PDA to be embarrassing and he wouldn't be as receptive to this if there were other people around.

Danny nodded, "Yes."

Phantom smirked, "Good boy."

...

**_Okay, guys, I know this probably doesn't look like a shit storm, but trust me, this is a shit storm._ **

 


	25. Beat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Wow, college leaves a girl busy. Things weren't this hard in the first semester. I Hit spring 2019 and suddenly I have up to three essays due per week with the occasional 2-page research project. Like, damn.

Danny played with the end of Phantom's leather vest, feeling more than slightly uncomfortable with not showering, but unwilling to break his promise. His hair was getting a little frizzy from the lack of conditioner, and he knew that his natural musk was starting to make it's presence known, but he could go one night without his shampoo. 

He and Sam were currently playing video games, but his avatar had already died, so he had to wait for her turn to finish before they could start the next round. It was a little awkward to sit there doing nothing, with nothing but his thoughts to distract him. It was hard to sit there next to his best friend and be unable to think about anything but how worried he was about Phantom. He just hoped to whatever higher power was out there, and he guessed it was apparently Zeus, that his boyfriend would be okay at the ending of whatever he had gotten himself into.

The raven male watched in amusement as his gothic friend enthusiastically hit the buttons on her controller, cursing colorfully at anyone who damaged her avatar's health. 

"You worthless piece of shit! You should have been a blow job!" she yelled loud enough to be heard over the advanced speakers that filled the room with HD sound. Luckily the walls to this room were soundproof, or Danny was sure that Sam's parents would be barging in here to scold the goth about her language.

It was already 1 am in the morning and Danny was getting more and more worried by the minute. Why hadn't Phantom called him by now? Why wasn't it safe to come home, let alone take off the vest? What was Phantom doing that he needed him out of his own house for the night?

"Ugh!" Sam yelled her frustration when her avatar was shot and killed, ending the game for both of them. She put her controller down and allowed herself to calm down from the peak of adrenaline. The scoreboard popped up to reveal that Sam was seconds away from beating her high score, while Danny's score was embarrassingly low compared to his own record high score.

Sam sighed, "well that _sucks_ ," she said as she stared at their pathetic results, wondering what they were supposed to do with themselves now. She was worried about Danny's behavior, he was acting very strange and quiet, but she decided she would wait for him to talk to her. Danny was strong and could fight his own battles, and she was the type of friend that only interfered if he either came to her directly or if he was literally about to crash and burn. He didn't seem to be the latter, so all she could do was be patient and approachable.

"Let's watch a dumb horror movie so we can make fun of the bad actors and poorly executed plot twists," Danny said, knowing that a few fake boobs and screaming blonds would cheer him right up. he would rather get his mind off of what was going on with Phantom and attempt to have some fun with Sam. Ever since he had gotten used to having Phantom's cool and comforting body in his bed, he hadn't spent many nights over at Sam's or Tucker's. He was definitely ready to take the chance to make up for the lost time.

"No wonder we're friends," the goth said with amusement as she picked up her remote control and changed the settings to Netflix, searching for the absolute _worst_ rated horror movie they could find. 3 Headed Shark was what they agreed on, and three minutes into the movie, the 2 of them were already laughing their asses off.

It was refreshing, and just the distraction that Danny needed.

...

The sound of forks clanking against the glass plates grated on Phantom's nerves, and no amount of perfectly cooked salmon would ever distract him from the headache as Danny's father rambled on in conversation with Ember.

"I had no idea that my son had a thing for music until he surprised me with his first song, but I have never been so proud of him." Jack said, eyes bright with pride as he spoke about Danny's fortune, "He had a bit of rough childhood and some difficult times, but he has come back from it stronger than ever. He really is a fighter, and the best son a father could ask for." Jack then shoved a huge forkful of cheesy broccoli into his mouth, chewing loudly as he thought about what he was going to say next.

"He sounds like a really great guy," Ember spoke as if she was tasting the words as she said them, and the sultry undertone that Phantom caught under her breath had his blood boiling.

"He is, you know, he really is. It's a shame that he couldn't be here today, or I think you two would really have hit it off." Jack was ever the unobservant baffoon, not that Phantom particularly expected the man to know what exactly was going on, but he could at least be able to tell that Ember was a snake slithering in for the man's trust. Jack was too open, and Phantom knew that it could eventually be the death of them all if Ember was not the last assassin to be sent to make their lives hell.

Ember was really good at acting, and the fake bashfulness that she played out was immaculate. Complete with the shy body language and the blush warming her deceitfully gorgeous face. She smartly didn't say anything in response to Jack's suggestion, playing the nervous teenager card like a champ as she smiled sheepishly and played with her potatoes.

"So how did you two meet?" Jack asked after a moment of Ember continuing her little display of shyness.

Internally, both Phantom and Ember were fuming, but for different reasons. Ember, because her plan to kill Danny, his human father, and that pathetic excuse for a siren was completely soiled when she came by only to learn that Danny was not in the house. She knew that it would be ill-judged to attempt to kill anyone as of now because it would do nothing but cause problems for herself if Danny is not there to die with them. 

Ember glanced over at Phantom with fake happiness, as if trying to show Jack in her expression that the meeting was a pleasant one, but the two sirens were anything but happy to recall how they knew each other. 

Phantom glared heatedly at her, not that Jack noticed, and dared her to try and make up a story.

"Ember and I met a while ago online, similar to how I met Danny. We were playing World War Z on rival teams, but every battle we fought each other in always ended in a draw. We agreed to become usual opponents until one of us beat the other, until finally in one battle I annihilated her squad." It was complete bullshit, but it was a plausible enough lie that he knew Jack would believe it. "I never actually met her in person before today, though."

Ember didn't seem happy with the ending of the story, she hated to lose and was very competitive, but in the presence of a human was not the time to start a battle for dominance.

"You kids sure meet a lot of people online. I'm happy to see that something good can come out of technological obsession." Jack's remark seemed to hold a slight attitude, as if even with the silver lining to this 'technological obsession,' he did not like the fact that it was still a growing problem that teenagers and young children fell into. "Assuming said kids are smart about who they try to meet, I am aware of how many creeps are on the internet."

"Yeah, but there are precautions that we take to prevent those sort of accidents," Phantom assured just to keep the conversation going, he needed to keep his cool in the face of this dire situation.

Jack nodded but didn't say anything else on the matter, trusting Danny and his friends to be smart enough to make the right choices.

"Where is Danny anyway?" Ember asked bluntly, not at all shocking Phantom to how forward she was in attempting to find the information. "I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to meet the person who wrote my entire playlist."

Phantom smirked, knowing that she would not get the information so easily. Phantom was smarter than that and he was almost disappointed that she didn't realize this sooner. It was a good thing sirens were unable to read other siren's minds without their explicit permission, otherwise, Danny would definitely be in more danger.

"He's spending the night with his mom," Jack stuffed the last bite of salmon into his mouth, "She's been going through a difficult time as well, so he was gracious enough to be with her for a little bit."

"Oh," Ember said through clenched teeth, her fake smile looking crippled as she realized that she had no clue where the boy was. She knew that the human was telling the truth, but if the satisfied smirk on Phantom's face was anything to go by, she knew that his mother's house was not where Danny was located. Jack Fenton did not know where his son actually was, Phantom was not going to tell her, and she could not smell the boy's scent no matter how hard she tried. "How sweet of him."

Phantom cleaned his face with his napkin, his eyes calm and his alpha scent tranquil as he hit Ember with this checkmate. Everything went as planned. Even if Ember did know where Maddie Fenton's house was, she wouldn't find Danny there. As long as Danny kept his promise and did not take off Phantom's vest, he would be safe. By now, Ember would be realizing that she failed at her mission, and the only way to keep some of her dignity is to kill Phantom and redeem what sirens stood for.

Phantom got up, clearing off his area and picking up Ember's empty plate, keeping up the gentlemen appearance but expressing his contempt for the female with a flash of red eyes.

One of them was going to die tonight, and Phantom would not allow it to be him.

...

Phantom was in the middle of finishing up his research paper. It was supposed to be handwritten and 6 pages long, minimum, and it had taken him a good 3 weeks to complete. Luckily, he was in the middle of writing the conclusion, and with a week left before the deadline, all he had left to do was revise and edit, and then write up a final copy for submission.

It was now 12 am, and Jack Fenton was fast asleep, snoring away in his room like any other night under the impression that Ember had left already. She had, of course, left the house, but Phantom could still smell her omegan scent close by. She was not going to give up so easily, but he was nowhere near worried. As long as Danny kept his promise, everything would be fine.

Her next move became obvious when Phantom's ears picked up a soft thumping, much too quiet for a human's ears to pick up. Immediately he was on alert as he dotted his I's and scribbled the rest of his conclusion. It sounded like the female siren was attempting to perform a sneak attack as she climbed up the side of the house to the window.

Phantom smirked, dotting his last period and setting his homework aside as he purposely used his ice power to force a temperature drop of 20 degrees. The comfortable 68 degrees fell down to a chilling 48 that would not bother him in the slightest but would slow down her movement as her body fought to make up for the heat loss. It was not nearly low enough to kill her, but he needed some answers before he got to the real fun, so he stopped the temperature where it was.

He pretended to not know what was going on as Ember climbed in through the open window, seeming to not even bother to stop and think about why it was open in the first place. Surely she couldn't be that stupid to think Phantom would just randomly leave the bedroom window open when she was in the same town. The female siren continued to disappoint him, she was nowhere near as cunning as she should have been considering her species.

It was almost pathetic, she was so obvious that Phantom briefly wondered if he was being set up. There had to be a catch to this, but he couldn't see how attempting to sneak into a very obvious trap could work in her favor. He was struggling to find her common sense, but it was apparent that Ember had none. 

Especially when she started making her way toward him as if he didn't know that she was there.

Phantom just kept sitting at Danny's desk pretending to be hard at work, now typing his English paper on the boy's computer. The sound of typing fingers hitting the keys at a rapid pace was the only sound in the room. Well, at least to the human ear. He could hear everything from the way the siren behind him was softly breathing, to the soft -very soft- way she crossed the room over to him.

He knew that she must have had some sort of weapon on her. That, or she planned on treating him as a human now that he technically was one; like food. 

Phantom rolled his head, feeling the slight bit of neck pain that came from sitting upright staring down at his classwork for too long. This was something he did not enjoy while being a human, he could feel the bodily aches that came with a lack of proper rest.

The sound of air being whipped as something came crashing toward the male siren had him jumping into action. He ducked just as a chef knife was almost stabbed right into the back of his neck, using the momentum to grab and break the girl's wrist. She dropped the knife with a pained scream of both shock and surprised pain. It sounded like it hurt, but Phantom did not feel any pity, not even when the sickening sound of bones cracking made it to his sharp ears.

He quickly grabbed the knife off the desk and stabbed Ember right in the thigh, shoving it in right down to the hilt. Blood dripped and splattered down her leg and onto the floor, and Phantom smirked in satisfaction when the knife hit it's aimed mark and got stuck in the girl's femur. 

Phantom shoved her backward, knowing she couldn't possibly be able to keep her balance. When he realized that his research paper draft was now covered in the blood that had spilled when the siren's broken wrist bone pierced through her skin, he sighed. Some of the pages were no longer legible and he would have to start over. 

How bothersome.

"You know, blood is not very easy to clean up. Danny won't be happy." Phantom said as the crying siren attempted to reign in her emotions to glare up at the male.

Phantom considered how long it would take him to clean up the mess. Perhaps he should call Sam and Tucker to help him like last time? Surely they would help him if he let them in on the fact that their best friend was now multiple assassin's targets. 

Disposing of bodies was the hardest part for him since there was always that concern that he might accidentally touch water, but after some consideration, he decided he would do what he could to keep the humans out of it. They, just like Danny, seemed to be under a lot of stress just from one murder. It would be strange if he involved Sam and Tucker when he wouldn't even let Danny in on what was going on.

No. With secrets came lies, and with lies came obstacles. It was best if he kept this to himself and involved as little others as possible: as in, no one else. He would clean up his own mess from now on.

"You stupid waste of an egg!" Ember started, "I swear to Hades you deserve to be killed." 

"Speaking of Hades," Danny opened up the drawer on Danny's work desk and picked out an envelope opener. It hadn't really been used much, but it would come in handy now. "Am I correct in assuming he promised you a permanent singing voice if you completed your mission?" Ember sure did have a lot of piercings on her ear, the gages certainly did suit her, and the nose ring sparkled brilliantly against her flawless skin.

"The best singing voice to ever escape a siren's lungs. Even stronger than yours ever was you pathetic piece of whale sperm." Ember hissed in response, clutching at the hilt of the knife and trying to take it out. The pain proved to be too much at the moment to even tap the handle though, and she quickly abandoned the attempt. 

Her breathing came in pained pants and high pitched whimpers, but Phantom did not feel even a little bit sorry for her. Apparently, he had not developed as much compassion as he thought he did while living with Danny. He seemed to still lack any human emotion at all, and he wondered if this was just because he was personally hostile to his own kind because of how rock solid they were supposed to be, compared to how sensitive Danny and his friends were.

Not that the concept of how he behaved around his own kind particularly mattered.

"So, did he send you to kill me, Danny, or both." He wondered if she would be stupid enough to allow Phantom the information. He guessed that maybe she was living in her pride, and probably thought that she was some sort of stud that could still beat Phantom even now.

"Just Danny, but I made it my personal mission to kill you my self."

It seems he was right.

She played her next move in the little game that she still thought she was winning somehow, grabbing the hilt of the knife and utilizing both her healing ability and her toughness to ignore the pain and unsheath it from her thigh. 

Phantom leaned against the desk and crossed his arms and ankles and watched with fascination and disgust as blood oozed and dribbled out of her wound with a nasty squelching sound. He wondered what she planned to do with that on such an injured leg. That would take at _least_ a good few minutes to heal completely.

He smirked and started lowering the temperature in the bedroom, staring at the girl in satisfaction when the heat from her breath became visible and a deep shiver racked her form.

She stood up, and her stability in the current bellow freezing environment was impressive. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. 

Good for her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this actually took almost a month. That is the longest it's taken me to update this story since chapter 2.
> 
> I am so relieved. I was juggling 5 college classes, one of those being an online course, and it was so difficult and time-consuming. Luckily though, the most stressful one has been concluded. No more weekly 1400 word essays due. Phew. Hopefully, now I will have loads more time to update.


	26. Rights

Phantom leaned against the desk and crossed his arms and ankles and watched with fascination and disgust as blood oozed and dribbled out of Ember's wound with a nasty squelching sound. He wondered what she planned to do with that on such an injured leg. That would take at _least_ a good few minutes to heal completely.

He smirked and started lowering the temperature in the bedroom, staring at the girl in satisfaction when the heat from her breath became visible and a deep shiver racked her form.

She stood up, and her stability in the current bellow freezing environment was impressive. She was stronger than he gave her credit for.

Good for her.

...

_A few days ago~_

...

Dunald Dunck stared down at the playing footage, curses and foul words running through his head. Vlad Masters was definitely not a saint, and 90% of the general population would probably say that he deserved to die, or at the very least spend most of his life in prison.

Dunck wasn't sure if this was a murder, but he couldn't imagine what Mr. Masters's body was doing hours away from town in a swamp full of crocodiles and snakes. It had already been forensically proven that Vlad was killed by some kind of unknown species of animal, but Dunck wasn't sure if that answered the mystery of what exactly happened to the millionaire.

Every single organism in that swamp had been identified, and though some of the bite marks on the body matched the teeth on the crocodiles, the actual animal that killed him was not found.

A forensic scientist walked up to him, shocking him out of his deep concentration from the footage. He took his thumb away from his lip and regarded the woman with an expression that screamed, "what the hell do you want."

"Sir, we found something really strange, if you will fallow me to the remains." The woman's lab coat was covered in brownish stains, and immediately the investigator knew that it was blood from the remains. He grimaced in disgust but followed her anyway.

She led him to the remains, explaining as they went, "Okay, so Cam found in the remaining tissue around the genitalia that there were traces of elevated sex hormones, indicating that the victim was sexually aroused seconds before death. The problem though is I found in the remaining bone fragments that whatever animal killed him, kill him hours before the crocodiles got to him."

"okay," Dunck said, "What exactly are you telling me?"

"Well, sir, our team did a sweep of every inch of that swamp. There was no evidence of the unidentified species anywhere to be found."

"Are you telling me that after the unknown animal killed him, someone took the body and moved it to the swamp?" He had suspected it, but the confirmation made this a whole new story. How did his body end up where it was?

"That's what the evidence indicates, but we could not find any evidence of foul play. This doesn't exactly make the case a murder one, in fact, we have reason to believe that a trash man may have accidentally transferred the remains to the dump less than half a mile to the swamp."

The doctor was obviously reaching for an explanation instead of acknowledging the mystery. Though Dunck didn't think the possible explanation was impossible, it was the closest thing to an explanation that the evidence would offer. Why was he aroused though? He supposed Mr. Masters could have been masturbating in a dumpster... but somehow that seemed unlikely.

Dunck rubbed the base of his chin, leaving the doctor to stare at him awkwardly in the silence that followed. Then an idea came, "If you feel unsatisfied that this wasn't a murder, then Vlad was visiting friends in Amity Park with his girlfriend. Perhaps they might know something about what Mr. Masters was doing that night."

Dunald nodded and pulled out his cellphone, immediately speed dialing the department of security. "Alberto Finestine, I need you to get me all of Vlad Masters's contacts. I want to know who he was visiting in Amity park the day he disappeared."

...

A knock on the front door disrupted the peaceful loneliness that Jack Fenton had found himself in as he watched Bates Motel and ate ice cream, and he looked up at the door at the sound. He contemplated for a brief moment if he should ignore it, not feeling much for company at the moment.

Who would be visiting him anyway? He had no friends.

He decided he would get up and answer it anyway. Thinking maybe Danny or Dan forgot their key again, but it wasn't either of the two teens.

Two men somewhere in their thirties stood in the door frame outside, wearing classy black and blue suits that, a few months ago, Jack probably would never have been able to afford until recently.

He assumed they were with the board of music, "Sorry guys, my son isn't here, and neither is Dan." he dismissed and was about to offer an appointment for a better time when he was stopped.

"Actually, Mr. Fenton, we are with the FBI. I am Agent Dunald Dunck and this is my partner agent Light Imagay," the older looking man said as he pulled out his badge, "and we came by to ask you a few questions. Do you mind if we come in?"

"The FBI?" Jack supposed it made sense that people would come to question him about Vlad, but on such short notice? "How come I wasn't contacted prior to this? Isn't it common courtesy to call before knocking on someone's door?" He may have just been being a pain, but Bates Motel has been interrupted and the ice cream is now melting, this was no time for sweet talk.

"We apologize," Agent Dunck said, appearing to be uncaring even as he spoke, "We did call you yesterday a couple of time, nobody answered though."

Jack hummed, he must have been in court, that Baxter family was affecting more than just his boy's life apparently. "Yes, well, why don't you come in," He said as he stepped aside to allow the men inside, "Would you two like some water or a coke?"

The two men politely declined as they stepped in, "No thank you, Mr. Fenton, we probably won't be here long. Do you mind if we take a seat on the couch?"

"Sure, go ahead, let's make this quick." The divorced father sat down across from the agents that joined him in his living room. "What did you want to ask?"

"Well, first we would like to tell you about something very disturbing that we found in Mr. Masters's mansion," Dunck said as he nodded to Imagay to pull out the small laptop that they brought. The younger agent set it on the coffee table and hit a few buttons before turning it around to face the homeowner. "This is one of the pieces of footage that was cataloged in Mr. Masters's private study. We recovered 30 other tapes just like this one between your ex-wife and your son."

Jack's slightly irritated but still aloof and bored expression melted into shock and horror as the footage played out on the computer in front of him. His son, his pride and joy, his proudest accomplishment, was the subject of the horrifying footage in front of him. Danny was walking out of his bathroom, and this had to be a few years ago because the teen appeared to be much younger in the video, and he was in a towel preparing to get dressed.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Hadn't his wife been enough? How could his ex-best friend, Danny's _godfather_ , be doing this all that time? How long did this go on anyway? Was Vlad just using him and Maddie to get closer to Danny all that time? Was that his plan the whole time? To steal Maddie on the idea that she would fight for custody and take Danny to go and live with him? Jack didn't want to think about what he would do if he ever saw Vlad's face again. He had been able to control his betrayed feelings and anger for the good of the children, but he didn't think he would be so tame next time.

"I understand this must be a shock to you, however under the code of law, once we solve Mr. Masters's case, we are required to give you all the footage."

Jack felt like he would faint from the rage that invaded him harder than a terrorist attack, "You mean there is more of this?" He was almost positive that the agent had already told him just how much footage there was, but he was too swept in mind-blowing anger to comprehend much of anything other than Vlad's disgusting true nature.

"Yes sir, and each one is full of your son and your ex-wife. Private things too, like footage of them in the shower, sleeping in their beds, hanging out with their friends, doing homework, etc." Dunald seemed to be unemotional, bluntly telling a father about how his missing ex-friend not only stole his wife but also had a pedophilic attraction to his son.

"There wasn't anything on my daughter?" He asked, they hadn't mentioned her, but he hoped that she was not involved in this.

"No sir, there was nothing on your daughter, but we were wondering when the last time you saw Mr. Masters was?" The agent clicked a button on a small remote, and Jack realized they were now recording the conversation. Agent Imagay turned off the computer and put it away.

Jack sighed, "The last I saw him was the morning that my ex-wife took him and my son to school together the morning after Christmas. He was supposed to be a substitute that day, but Maddie called me later in the evening saying that he never went back to their hotel that night."

Suddenly the front door opened, and Danny and his friend Dan walked in. It appeared they were home from the dealership. They had been working to get Dan a car, and that was just fine by him, as long as he had a license. Jack knew that when the agents turned around they were making recognitions between the footage and the boy walking through the door.

The teen's happy faces fell when they walked through the door and saw what was going on.  Dan's sharp eyes looked between Jack and the two other men in the house, regarding them with a strange expression of familiarity that had Jack's head tilting to the side in confusion.

"Dad?" Danny asked with worry painting his face, "Everything okay?"

Jack gave his son what was probably the fakest smile he had ever forced onto his face, "Of course, Danny-boy, why don't you go upstairs and finish your homework while I talk to the nice men."

Danny looked like he was about to argue, until Dan put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on Danny, I need help with calculus." Jack knew Dan had a 102 Calculus.

Slowly and uncertainly, but surely, Danny and Dan made their way upstairs, leaving Jack and the two agents alone again.

"Well Mr. Fenton, we doubt that this is a murder case, but we have not ruled the possibility out completely," Dunck said when the kids were out of the room. "Mr. Masters's body was recovered in a swamp a few hours outside of town, but only in parts."

Jack's eyes widened. So Vlad was dead? He was almost disappointed in himself for being happy.

Good fucking riddance.

"It appears that he was killed by some kind of animal, but we were forced to speculate when it came to how his body got there in the first place. If it wasn't for the fact that there was no evidence of foul play, this would be murder."

"Animal?" Jack asked curiously, "You think an animal killed him? What kind of animal?"

"Well," The agent looked slightly embarrassed to say this, "We have not identified the animal, we believe that it is a new species. We are currently still searching for the animal, however, considering there haven't been any other bodies turning up, whatever did this to Vlad may have been traveling."

It made no sense. Their theory made absolutely zero sense. And It baffled Jack how quickly his perception of Vlad's disappearance changed. First, he had almost felt bad for Vlad and his ex-wife, now he was hoping that the man had died a very slow and painful death.

Jack's jaw clenched, "If that is all you came here to tell or ask me, then I need to ask you men to leave. I have two teenagers that need to be fed." he lied, he was just really tired and was in desperate need of some fudge. He might even take some of Danny's lavender tea.

Dunck looked like he was unsatisfied with how things turned out, but he nodded slowly anyway, "Very well. We will take our leave then."

"Nobody else is going to see that footage right?" Jack asked as the men got up and went to the door. "I'd rather not let any more perverts lay their eyes on my son."

Dunck tips his hat, "I assure you nobody else will ever see the footage. It will be held in evidence and the next hands they will be in will be yours to do with what you will."

Jack nodded and a moment later he was locking the front door.

He sighed and rubbed at his face, the pressure from his fingers relieving the stress around his eyes. So much had happened in such a little time. He had thought that Vlad loved Danny, in the kind of way that he would do anything to take care of the boy. Apparently, though, the love that Vlad had was tainted with lust, and everything he had done for his son was just to get closer so he could relieve whatever carnal needs he felt he had.

Jack thought about all the times he had left Danny alone with Vlad... and then realized that it wasn't often. In fact, Jack couldn't recall the last time that Vlad and Danny actually hung out one on one. Was that because of Danny? Had he seen this coming? Jack hoped that, whatever the reason for the two's inconspicuous distance, it was because Danny was smart and aware enough to sense a certain inappropriate air from Vlad.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. A scary one.

What if Danny _hadn't_ been aware at all? What if Vlad did something? What if Danny was hiding it from him?

The image of Vlad forcing himself on his son in some way had his eyes clenching and his head flailing around to try and get the mental picture out of his head. It was too awful to think about, but the possibility was too close for comfort. He had to talk to his son about this.

Jack thought about all the times Danny paled when he realized Vlad would be spending the night, and damn near hit himself for ignoring the warning signs. All those times Danny cringed at Vlad's touch or recoiled when they got too close. All those dirty looks Sam and Tucker threw at the older man as Danny attempted to disappear behind them...

He couldn't believe he had not seen it.

Jack was Danny's father, he was supposed to protect him from things like this, and like many other times about a lot of other things, he failed.

Jack put his head between his hands and gripped at his hair. The implications that came with the new information and Vlad's sudden disappearance burning through his skull.

What if Danny had something to do with his godfather's death?

It was a horrifying thought that he forced away from the front of his head. Danny couldn't have. His son was a kind and gentle person. Danny was not capable of committing something as serious as murder. No way. Not his boy.

Jack sighed, there was no way he would be getting any peace in the immediate future. But he decided he would make the attempt anyway by going into the kitchen to sit and listen to music.

He couldn't even think about watching Bates Motel at this point.

...

"Sir?" Agent Imagay asked as they made their way to the car, "should I follow up on that substitute teacher lead?"

"Yes," Dunck said as he unlocked the car and got in, his partner following in the passenger seat, "I wanna know when he clocked in and out, and I wanna see all the security footage from that day. We will go from there."

Imagay nodded but he wouldn't be able to recover the information until they made it back to the station.

They drove off, determined to find out what happened to Mr. Masters, but even more determined to make it to Starbucks before they closed.

...

Danny was straddling him as he brushed his thumb under Phantom's eye, "Don't you ever leave me, Phantom." The boy said insistently as if the very idea of Phantom leaving tore him apart.

Phantom smirked and wrapped an arm around the human, pulling his body closer, "I've got nowhere to go, dumbass."

The 17-year-old chuckled in a small laugh before straightening himself a bit to take off his shirt.

Phantom started trailing small kisses on the newly exposed flesh.

"Eat," Danny said with his hands in Phantom's hair, "you haven't fed in almost two months, I know you're hungry." Phantom sucked at an old scar that a previous feeding left, the small spot pink and healed over as best as his venom would help.

Phantom's eyes flashed red in temptation, but the soft skin under his lips kept him from biting down immediately. It was a shame to damage such nice skin. All the scars from before were small and pink. Phantom was always careful and hated to make a mess out his meal, which helped to keep all the old bites from becoming ugly dunes left behind from the missing flesh. His venom helped to repair and replaced the damaged cells too, but sooner or later, there won't be much perfectly untouched skin if he kept feeding off Danny the way he was.

"I can wait," he finally said.

"Bullshit, Phantom," his tone made him sound a lot less angry than his words implied, but Phantom could smell that the raven was a little frustrated. "Why are you holding back? I signed up for this when I let you stay. I'm not going to let you starve. You know I can take it, now stop hurting yourself."

Phantom's stomach did a flip, he was very hungry, and Danny smelt like his own personal perception of heaven. But he refrained, he still had another 8 or 9 months before his hunger became dangerous.

He poked his tongue out to lick at the scar, wishing it would disappear.

Danny noticed it immediately, "are you worried about me scarring? They aren't that bad, I can get a cream that will help them disappear if you want."

The offer made the merman feel a little better.

Danny sighed and hugged around Phantom's shoulders, "come on babe, go ahead," he scratched lightly on the back of his neck, his fingertips playing with the snow white hair peeking out from slightly tanned skin.

The merman breathed in Danny's scent before finally allowing himself to bite into the skin in his face.

The first drop of blood that hit Phantom's mouth had the merman growling in ravenous hunger, but he was sure to make certain his venom made the pain Danny would feel less intense. The hiss that left the raven's mouth, however, had Phantom taking the human down and pressing his back into the bed beneath him, now holding the boy down as he hovered above him.

Danny continued to pet at white hair to distract himself with how soft it was as Phantom took bite after bite. His white teeth clenched when the merman ripped away the final bite and soothed the wound with his tongue. The venom that ran through his blood made his body feel light, tingly, and numb, like a less intense form of laughing gas.

Phantom licked away at the remaining blood on his lips as his eyes turned back to the deep green that was quickly becoming Danny's favorite color, and they stared at each other for a moment. Danny did not complain about the pain once, and Phantom was more than grateful.

Danny smiled and lifted himself up. "Come on, you know the drill."

Phantom nodded as he too got up to go to the bathroom, they had established an agreement long ago that whenever Phantom fed, he would also take care of the wounds. Aftercare was important, and a necessary part of the merman's routine feedings. Without it Danny might get a bad infection and... well... they wouldn't be able to take him to the doctor without people asking questions. They would have to always do this themselves and hope for the best.

It was working for them so far.

Phantom patched Danny up, cleaning the bites with peroxide-Danny taking care of the water part of the routine- before covering the wounds in gauze and wrapping them in bandages.

Phantom leaned over and kissed Danny's forehead when he was done, and the raven leaned into the gentle affection silently.


	27. Feel It

  
"Shhhhhh," Red eyes glowed down at the crying blue haired siren, "you are screaming too loud." Phantom used the blade from the envelope opener to yank off another one of Ember's piercings, making the female fall into a new round of fresh pain.

Blood dripped from Ember's torn ear onto the floor, and Phantom tightened his grip around her neck as he made the temperature drop in the room for the third time. The female's lips were pale and chapped, and he knew from the frostbite developing on her cheeks and on the tip of her nose that she was dying from the cold very quickly.

"Bad girls who come after Danny deserve death," Phantom put the opener on the floor for a moment and pinched another piercing above the siren's eye between this thumb and forefinger, ripping it out half a second later and smirking at the tears that filled Ember's eyes. "Did you come alone or are there others on land?"

"Alone, _ahh_ , alone I swear, please stop." the chill was making her pleading voice raspy with the stress in her throat from her rapid breathing. She could no longer regulate her body temperature and Phantom knew that the female was aware of her imminent death. She tried to get Phantom off of her by scratching at the wrist that was holding her down by the neck, but her attempts to shove him off were futile. He was so much stronger than her, and she was weakening from the cold.

"Oh yeah? Are you sure you aren't lying? You have 5 more piercings and it would be a real shame if you lied." He narrowed his eyes down at her frightened ones, "The one on your nose looks like it would really hurt if it was suddenly _yanked out._ "

The subtle threat had her breathing harsher, "No! No, please, I swear I'm not lying." Phantom pinched the nose ring between his fingers, getting a good enough grip on it.

"I think it's a little warm in here, don't you think?" Phantom was nothing if not sadistic. "Maybe I should turn on the ice." Phantom's eyes glowed a glacier blue, not yet dropping the temperature more than he had, but the threat was there to be persuasive.

"No!" Terrified eyes widened, "Do the thing if you don't believe me!" The pain that came from the firm tugging that Phantom teased her nose with alarmed her to a desperate degree.

The merman smirked, that's what he wanted to hear. Merpeople had this thing that they did; to see into each other's souls. If Phantom chose to, he could potentially hear every thought Ember ever had, or see everything she had ever done. It required permission though, but that's what Phantom was just given.

He released the nose ring and circled both hands around Ember's throat, breathing in and shutting his eyes.

Dark spirals of glowing green energy slipped from the merman's fingertips and crawled under the female siren's skin. Her eyes turned black from the spell Phantom put her under as she lost all sense of herself, his power corrupting her mind.

Phantom hummed at what he saw. Behind the siren's conniving and seductive nature, Ember didn't seem to be lying at the present moment. Ember was not only alone, but he could see in her memories of encountering Hades that their deal only involved Danny's death.

This could pose a problem.

Ember took a deep breath, her mind hazy, but she noticed the forgotten envelope opener a few inches from her face. It was metal, and it was sharp.

Quickly, while Phantom was distracted, she snatched it and thrust it toward the merman's head.

Phantom grabbed her wrist just before the tip of the blade could stab into his temple.

Ember's eyes widened, the grip on her wrist tightening by the second as she tried to shove the weapon the remaining centimeters that kept her from murdering the male siren.

Green eyes smirked at her evilly, the malice and ill intention glowing brightly as they zeroed in on the girl below him.

"That will be the last thing you do," Phantom said darkly as his irises disappeared and were replaced by glowing blue gems of ice. They flashed brightly and blinded Ember for a moment before her discomfort became unbearable. The cold made her feel like someone was skinning her alive as her flesh became pale and cracked.

Frostbite spread in black blisters across her face, the tips of her fingers, her nose, her neck, everywhere at a rapid pace. Growing and marring her skin like 3rd degree burns under a red hot iron. Her choked screams as Phantom's finger's clenched around her throat and squeezed would not be heard by anyone but Phantom, with Mr. Fenton in a hypnosis-induced sleep and no one else in the house.

Tears fell from her clenched eyes as they were sealed shut by the ice that formed from the liquid spilling in the below freezing room. She knew she was dying, but in a last ditch effort to save herself somehow, her body thrashed, and she pushed at him with her frozen slid hands in a last attempt to shove him off her.

She wasn't nearly strong enough to, however, and a moment later, her arms fell to the side of her head and she stopped struggling.

Phantom smirked at her motionless body, releasing the grip he had on her throat and relishing in the cool -20-degree room. The cold made him strong, made him feel powerful.

Looking around the room to the frozen glass and the stiff bedsheets, Phantom sighed. He would have to clean up the mess now.

Time to get rid of the body.

He got up, looking around and wondering where he should start. Figuring the body was the most incriminating thing for a person to walk in and see, he went to Danny's closet to grab a few bed sheets. Ember's body was completely frozen, so her bleeding wounds would not be a problem.

He had stopped using his ice powers when the female's heart stopped, so the room should be rising in temperature as the houses heating system worked overtime to thaw it out. Luckily he had only used his powers in Danny's room, so Jack was not affected by the chill.

Unless you counted his wallet. This was definitely going to run up his electric bill.

Oops.

Phantom turned to get to work moving the body into Jack's RV, but he stopped.

Ember's body was gone.

Phantom would have been concerned over this, as his head tilted in confusion, but the pile of dust spread suspiciously in the same form and pattern of how Ember's body was positioned kept him from freaking out.

Ember was definitely dead.

She just turned to dust.

...

Danny woke up around 6:30 in the morning to the sound of his phone ringing. It was Friday morning and he was still in Phantom's stupidly uncomfortable vest, but he groggily reached for his phone.

Sam tucked herself farther under the covers behind him to try to muffle the sound of Phantom singing. Danny truly was the merman's biggest fan.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse, having just woken up.

"Hey, precious." Phantom's voice was static and nowhere near as sexy over the phone as it was in real life, "Sleep well?"

"Screw you," Danny said as he shifted the vest around, trying to find a comfortable position in it to no avail. He didn't know he could feel this relieved, he had barely slept because of how worried he was.

He should have known better, of course Phantom would be okay. He felt silly now for worrying so much.

"Oh, someone woke up feisty." Danny could almost hear the smirk in the merman's voice, and he wanted nothing more than to smack the amusement away from Phantom's face. Unfortunately, he wasn't close enough to the siren to do so. "You can take it off now if you want."

Danny groaned in joy, sitting up to unzip it and rid himself of the horrible article of clothing. He only ever wanted to see that thing on Phantom.

"I figured I would call you early. We have school in 2 hours."

Danny hummed, getting up out of Sam's bed. "Yeah, okay, I'll be there in a bit." He honestly just wanted to get home and give Phantom a big hug. Despite how angry he was at the merman for putting him through so much stress.

He packed up his stuff and let a sleepy Sam know that he was leaving. She responded with a wave of her hand and some indistinct words, but Danny was almost positive that she said something like "Shwee eewah skull."

He scratched his head, but he was out the door and in his car on his way home minutes later.

...

The cold metal of the hallway lockers met the side of Danny's face when Dash shoved him, and Danny groaned. What did this guy not understand from the lawsuits? Sure, the restraining order had not been implemented yet -his dad was working on that- but the bully should still be trying to show a sense of restraint by now.

It didn't seem to be the case though as the bully grabbed a fist full of his black hair and bashed his head against the locker for a second time. Flashbacks of the last time he saw Vlad alive flashed across his head and for a moment, panic started to rise in him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear students laughing and someone yelling, "Great Gatsby! What's going on?" However, in the present moment as he fell into the same panic he felt that day in the locker room, he couldn't place the voices.

Dash ran away after that, apparently brave enough to push at the lawsuits against him but not brave enough to stick around in the face of authority.

Danny groaned and held his head, but he was still in the middle of a panic attack and was unable to move for a moment. Someone was grabbing at his shoulder, but he couldn't tell who, nor did he want to look. None of his friends were around him and he could feel the physical burden of their absence.

The memory of hands around his throat hit him like a brick to his head, and the flashback of evil turquoise eyes staring down at him as disgusting hands ran all over his unwilling body had tears burning behind his eyes.

"-enton?" Someone was calling his name, and Danny struggled to remember where he was. Vlad was dead. Nobody was hurting him right now. He needed to calm down.

"For god sakes Mr. Fenton. Open your eyes."

He didn't even know they were closed. But when he opened them he was greeted with Mr. Lancer kneeling in front of him, concern filling his blue eyes as he stared down at him.

Danny has no idea when he had gotten on the ground, nor did he realize he was clutching his hair in a painful grip until he could feel strands being pulled out. He released the abused raven locks and quickly stood up, face flushing as he realized the students were all staring at him. He had made a huge scene and the embarrassment that he felt could be seen at the tips of his ears. A few minutes ago he was putting his stuff away to meet Phantom and his friends at his car, now he wanted nothing more than to go home and disappear in his bed.

"Go to the counselor Mr. Fenton. You are excused from class today if you need. I'll call and tell her you're on your way."

Danny bowed his head, hoping he could hide behind his long bangs as he started walking. The whispering around him was anything but silent, and Danny wished that their voices would just go away.

He wanted to go home and sleep this away.

Sadly nobody ever got everything they wanted.

Wishing Phantom was there but knowing the other was probably in class right then, Danny pulled out his phone and was about to text him something along the lines of 'love you', or 'miss you' but he stopped before clicking send.

Though Phantom has developed since living with him, he still had the emotional capacity of toothpaste. The merman would probably get annoyed if Danny sent him a text like that right now, barely ten minutes after seeing him.

He sighed and clicked the delete button until the message disappeared before shoving his phone in his pants again and opening the door to the Counselor's office.

The room was considerably warm compared to the rest of the school, but after spending most of the day in cold classrooms and 60-degree weather, the heat wasn't unwelcome.

Danny glanced around and noticed that the room was decorated differently than when he was last here a year ago. The walls were grayer and did not have as many posters as it did, but the most notable difference was the head of red hair sitting in the office chair. It seemed they had a new Counselor.

The red-headed woman turned in her chair and gave him a big welcoming smile, her green eyes sharp and familiar. "You must be Danny! How nice to meet you. Mr. Lancer called and said you would come to see me."

Danny tilted his head, she seemed very familiar. Like he had seen her face before, but he couldn't remember for the life of him.

"My name is Ms. Spectra. I am your new school Counselor. Please," she motioned to the chair that set on the opposite side of the desk from her, "take a seat and let's talk. I heard about your anxiety attack in the middle of the hallway. Boy, that must have been humiliating. On your knees in front of _all_ those other students, you must feel so _small_ right about now."

She was smiling, and the reminder of the embarrassment Danny went through only moments ago made the raven frown as heat rose in the back of his neck.

He took a seat in the chair and twirled his fingers in his lap. "Yeah, that was... unexpected." He side glanced the woman, unable to look her in the face. It was kind of weird how she stared at him with that overly happy smile, and it was getting increasingly uncomfortable that he couldn't remember where he had seen her face before.

"Don't you worry your little head off about it Danny, unexpected things happen all the time!" She got up and walked around the desk towards him and he followed her movements with his eyes, still unable to really look up at her pretty face. He flinched when she put a hand on his shoulder, "you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself when things out of your control happen."

"Then how come I feel so miserable?" Danny hunched further in his chair, wishing he could curl in on himself and fade away.

"Why don't you tell me what's been bothering you, Danny?" She took her hand off him and leaned against the desk in front of the raven. "I'm sure after a good talk you will forget about how you embarrassed yourself in front of everyone in that hallway." She sounded optimistic, but Danny wished she would stop reminding him about what happened. "I mean, I'm sure people were recording you when Dash took advantage of how defenseless you are, so I bet they also caught how you curled around yourself like a loser on video too and it's probably already on YouTube," Danny suddenly felt sick, "but I can get that demonetized for you in no time. Now, was it Dash that triggered your anxiety or was it something else?"

Danny lifted his head to look at the Counselor, but he couldn't hold his gaze on her face for more than a few seconds and he looked away again, embarrassment making his cheeks pink. He felt like a rock of shame was resting on his chest, it's heavy weight bringing him down.

He wouldn't tell her about Vlad or what really caused the attack, but he supposed he could let her in on some things. She was a counselor after all.

"I don't know. I guess I've just been really stressed lately. With Dash's bullying and my father in court a lot trying to get restraining orders while also sewing Dash and Quan's family." He stared at his crossed shoelaces as his toes fidgeted against the roof of his shoes.

"Why on earth would Dash want to bully you, Danny?" She asked with a shrug, "you seem like a nice person."

Danny sighed, "well, he started bullying me ever since he found out I was gay, so I guess that's it."

"Ooooh," She said with a drag of recognition in her voice, "I see. What is it that he calls you? An abomination? Are you ashamed of your sexuality Danny?"

"What?" His head shot up and it was the first time he was able to look her dead in the eye, "of course not."

She smirked and pushed her glasses farther up her nose, "good, so then I'm sure your parents know all about how different you are from everyone else."

Danny's face fell again at the word 'different' and he quickly broke from their eye contact in an attempt to hide his uncertainty. "Actually, I've never told my parents." He was sure they would accept it if they knew though.

Spectra put a hand on his shoulder again, and the contact made him nervous for reasons unknown to him. He felt so nauseous and he wanted nothing more than to go home right then. "Don't worry Danny, parents usually beat their children for having these strange characteristics, but I hear Jack Fenton is much kinder than that."

Danny was about to snap at her that his father would never hurt him, but suddenly his phone rang a few times and Danny glanced down at his pocket.

"Who's that, sweetie?"

"Probably my friends wondering where I am. We usually go out for lunch." He picked up his phone and saw the message ID's on the lock screen, but for some reason, he didn't move to open the messages or even text back.

"How supportive are your friends, Danny? I read on your file that your parents are divorced. Were they there for you during that time?"

The raven could feel himself shaking, "Uh. Yeah, they divorced a year and a half ago. My friends helped me through that a lot. They are very supportive." He felt cold despite how hot it was in the room.

"Aww. I'm sorry about that Danny. Though you shouldn't feel like you're a burden to your friends, I'm sure nobody blames you for your parent's separation and they don't _mind_ dealing with the mood swings that come with your situation." She pet his hair, but the motion was anything but comforting.

Danny's eyes widened, his body becoming stiff. "I- I've never felt like a burden." Now that he thought about it though, how okay were his friends about answering the phone when he called after nightmares? How okay were they with staying with him when he asked instead of going home? How many times had he lashed out because of the anger he felt at his mother leaving him and his dad? Was he really a burden?

Why wasn't he comfortable telling his parents about his sexuality? He swore he trusted them. So why hadn't he done it yet? Was he really ashamed of himself?

No, he shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his mind. He loved Phantom. He was not ashamed of being with him. He had never felt bad about being attracted to guys, it was not some deep angst problem that poisoned his mind. His problem was Vlad, he forced himself to remember; his stress stemmed from what Vlad did to him. Nothing else.

"I should go," Danny said as he got up and opened his phone to respond to their group chat, "they're waiting for me."

Spectra let him get up, taking her hand off his head and watching as he grabbed his stuff and went to the door. "It was great seeing you, Danny. Come again at any time. I'm always here if you wanna talk."

Danny wordlessly glanced at her, giving her a small depressed smile of thanks before walking out.

Spectra tilted her head back and smirked, breathing in and releasing a pleased sigh.

...

"Dude," Tucker started, "you okay? You barely touched your patty melt."

Danny roughly turned his head in Tucker's direction. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just not really hungry right now. I'll finish it later." Danny rewrapped the foil around the burger, sighing when he realized he was only able to stomach a couple of small bites.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked, concern morphing her expression and practically traumatizing Danny.

"There's nothing to talk about. I said I'm fine." Danny almost hissed.

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened, and Phantom turned his head at him.

Danny immediately felt bad, he had no idea he had such a temper. Did his friends always have to deal with this?

"Sorry dude, you're just acting really strange today. Did something happen at school?" Tucker sipped at his coke, trying to speak as gently as possible, not liking the defeated look in Danny's purposely averting eyes.

Danny denied again, "nothing happened at school." He sipped at his own coke, "I'm probably just tired. I didn't sleep well last night." He lied so easily to them that it made him feel terrible. Though he was sure they knew he wasn't telling the truth, he was a bad liar and they've known him since they were 3.

Sam and sticker looked at each other before looking at Phantom for help. The merman shrugged at them though, not about to expose what was on Danny's mind if the boy didn't wanna talk.

Not yet anyway.

Sam sighed, "Alright Danny when you're ready to talk, we're here."

Danny shrank a little more in the booth, of course they were. They were always there, even when they didn't want to be, even when it was inconvenient for them. He wished he could just go home, maybe spend the rest of his life in bed.

He needed to stop being a burden.

Phantom stared at the back of Danny's head as the raven stared out the window. Something had definitely happened at the counselor's office, something very weird. Danny was not normally this melancholy, nor was he ever this irritable around him or his friends.

Something really strange was going on.  
  
...

Phantom walked through the halls. 7th period was about to end in a few minutes and Danny's condition had only gotten worse since lunch. Something wasn't right, and Phantom was on his way to figure out what that fishy smell was. 

He pushed open the door to the counselor's office, but he realized too late that the wave of nausea that invaded his stomach at that moment was from the heat that filled the room like a dessert in the middle of the school.

Immediately, he turned around to get the hell out, but the familiar face of the woman shutting the only exit stopped him.

His eyes flashed blue as his body attempted to regulate his body temperature. How hot was it in here? 

"Spectra," he growled out with as much venom as he could. 

Her green eyes watched him as she stood between him and the door, "Well, hello, Phantom. Long time no see."

"What are you doing in Danny's school?" He could take a guess. He knew she was different from normal sirens; she was also a succubus, a siren that fed on man's misery. Usually, when she fed, humans always ended up more depressed and more miserable than they already were. So much so, that they became suicidal and eventually killed themselves, via letting themselves drown or slitting their wrists on the beach. 

Phantom's eyes reverted back to green, unable to keep himself cool anymore in the extreme heat. It had to be over 100 degrees in there. His knees started to feel wobbly as his body became heavy and his breath short.

Spectra giggled, "You don't look so good Phantom." She played with the thermostat right by her head, and Phantom knew that she was raising the temperature. "Don't you know that ice melts in the heat?"

The pain started to curl in the merman's stomach, and he couldn't help but fold his arms around himself from the discomfort. "You aren't going to finish him." He forced out from the tightness in his throat. This was not good. Especially when he tried to take a step towards the female siren and he collapsed to the ground. He was barely able to catch himself on his unusually weak arms before he could smash his face against the tile below him. 

"Actually Phantom, you are right," Spectra smirked, and Phantom groaned with the effort of lifting his head to glare at the woman with glowing crimson eyes. "I won't be finishing Danny. He will be finishing himself by the time I'm done with him."

Her intentions became clear when she opened the door behind her and left, but not before setting the thermostat to 130 degrees and breaking it off the wall so that even if Phantom was able to crawl over in an attempt to lower the temperature, he wouldn't be able to. She was going to leave him here to die while she went to go find Danny and make him wish he were dead. 

Fenton would be dead before the end of the day if this plan worked, and something _other_ than the effect of the blistering heat settled in Phantom's throat and chest. It was somehow more painful than the pain of him actively dying, and the only thing he could think about was how much he needed to get to Danny. Hades's second attempt on Fenton's life was about to be successful if he didn't get up off this floor and _get_ to him.

Phantom tried to get up and run over to the door, but he couldn't even get up off the floor let alone run. Sweat was dripping down the sides of his face and his flesh felt like it was on fire. The heat burned like he was trapped under the weight of a thousand hot rocks.

 Vaguely he was aware that his skin was turning red as blisters started to form on his arms and hands, and probably his face, but there was nothing he could do about it. The world was spinning around him and for the first time, Phantom was actually worried that this was the end for him as he collapsed onto his back.

The last thing he saw before he passed out, was Spectra locking the door with her final farewell, "Goodbye Phantom, I would say it was nice knowing you, but I think we both know that would be a lie. Maybe you will see Danny soon, after Hades take both of your souls that is. Tah Phantom, sleep well."

...

Danny glanced around himself, on his way to gym. It was 2 minutes to 8th period and he wanted nothing more than to just get the day over with. He could see people staring at him as he passed so he pulled his hoody farther down to hide his face, hoping nobody would approach him. It was bad enough that he had Dash out to get him, he didn't need everyone staring at him like he was some kind of circus freak.

He was about to turn the corner and enter the gym when he suddenly collided with something squishy.

Danny regained his balance and straightened himself out as he looked up to see who he crashed into and his eyes widened when he was greeted by his counselor. "Oh my gosh," he exclaimed when he realized he walked face first right into her chest, "I'm so sorry, I should have been paying more attention-." 

She held a hand up to stop his stammering, "It's okay Danny, even though that is typically inappropriate, it is okay because I know that you aren't into the female anatomy like normal people."

Danny blinked and frowned, "Um. Yeah? Okay, well, excuse me, I'm trying to get to the gym." He tried to pass her but she suddenly grabbed his shoulder, her grip a little tighter than what was comfortable.

Danny trembled.

"Danny, wait, how are you doing?" Ms. Spectra asked.

The raven hunched his shoulders, wishing that his face could somehow hide underneath them, "I'm fine, I just want to go home." He had never felt so uncomfortable in his own skin. It was like depression was a seasoning, and someone had made him overly salty with it. He felt covered in misery from head to toe like he had bathed in it for 24 hours and he was now being marinated for the slaughter.

"Is it all the eyes on you, sweetie?" She giggled, "Don't worry about them, it's not your fault they think you're an attention seeking loser."

Danny flinched at both the judgment happening around him and the weight of the counselor's hand on his shoulder.

"How are you and that Dan boy doing? It's all over the media that you two are together."

Danny glanced up at her, he hadn't noticed their relationship was so public. Did that mean his parents knew about his sexuality?

He didn't understand why the thought filled him with so much dread. What would happen if his father found out how different he was? 

"Dan and I are great." The raven said bitterly as he stared down at the ground.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause I heard that Ember visited your house last night. She is really pretty and the media says that she was seen leaving your house _very_ late at night. A little too late at night to be considered a friendly visit." She turned Danny around and lifted his chin so he would look at her, "You aren't worried are you?"

"What?" He asked. No, he trusted Phantom. If Phantom said that there was nothing between him and Ember, then there was nothing to be worried about. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

"Well I only mean that Dan is living with you, and therefore, he is forced to be around you all the time." her eyes seemed too deep and too sharp to be considered normal, but the emerald green captivated him. "I am just worried about you Danny, I don't want you to feel like Dan actually has feelings for you if he is simply being sucked in by how forward you are in your sexuality."

Danny's eyes clenched in anger, and he ripped his face away from her grip, "How could you say that?" 

Spectra shrugged, "He's just really famous Danny. People like him never stay with the same person for very long. I've seen him around and I got to tell you, he doesn't seem like the type to enjoy serious long-lasting relationships."

Danny said nothing, he was too outraged to say anything, so instead, he just backed away from the counselor. Her smirk seemed so satisfied, as she took a step closer to him. The halls were mostly cleared and the people that lingered paid no mind to Spectra or Danny, just trying to get to class before the bell rang.

When the redhead put a hand on his shoulder again, Danny's eyes fell to her feet for the billionth time that day. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure your heart can take it." 

The raven backed away some more, and this time Spectra allowed him. 

Screw gym, screw class, screw his grades and his attendance, he was going home.

Danny turned and left. He would just go out the other door to his car; he didn't want to have to deal with his couches questions if he saw him.

Every step that he took felt like he hand dumbells tied to his ankles, and the heavy weight in his chest only seemed to get heavier.

Did Phantom really feel that way? Had Danny forced his sexuality on the merman? He didn't remember Phantom ever telling him that he was attracted to him. The merman had never told Danny how exactly he felt about him. In fact, now that Danny thought about it, he and Phantom never actually established that Phantom went into this romantic relationship with him willingly. 

Danny stopped in his tracks. 

Phantom was never going to love him back, was he? He was a siren, and no matter how much Danny hoped and wished that the merman would somehow learn to love him, he was just being naive. Wasn't he?

Spectra hid far enough away behind Danny so that the boy wouldn't notice her there, smirking as her plan played out just as she wanted it. When she could sense that Danny was right at the edge, she blew the glowing green dust in her palm towards him, watching as he breathed it in and his eyes dilated.

When Danny hopped in his car and started the drive home with only one thought on his mind, Spectra knew that her job was done.

...

Tucker whistled a soft tune as he exited his 8th class on his way to the restroom, admiring the decor around him. There were still some posters of Ember that were forgotten, some art projects, a wet paint sign, some pictures of the life cycle of turtles, Phantom unconscious on the counselor's office floor, a life-sized statue of a DNA sample-

Tucker froze, the souls of his shoes skidding on the tiled floor.

He quickly ran to the door of the counselor's office, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things, and it appeared that he wasn't. His eyes widened in worry when he saw that Phantom indeed was unconscious and unmoving on the floor inside the office, and Tucker tried the door handle only to find that it was locked.

Well, this was a problem, Tucker determined when he realized that not only was Phantom unconscious, but he was apparently purposely left there by someone. Tucker touched the window and hissed, pulling it back. 

His eyes widened in realization, and he cursed under his breath. It was too hot in there and he needed to get Phantom out. He remembered what Danny said about Phantom getting sick in extreme heat, and if the window burned him, then the merman was definitely unconscious in extreme heat and was in grave danger.

Tucker pulled out his wallet and pulled out his library card. He had to figure out how to open the door.

Quickly slipping the card in the crack of the door, he slid it around trying to push the lock aside. 

"Come on, come on." sweat slipped down the side of Tuckers face, and he was completely concerned with how long Phantom had been in there like that.

When the card didn't work he threw it down angrily and fished in his pockets for plan B. Which he found would have to be the bobby pin he kept in his pocket for no other reason but instinct.

Tricking the lock was Sam's specialty, but he was going to have to become an expert in .3 seconds or he was going to start panicking over the merman's eerily motionless form.

When the bobby pin snapped in two in the lock and became utterly useless, Tucker cursed loudly. 

It was time for plan C.

"Hold on, Phantom." He said as he stepped back about ten feet before running full speed towards the door.

The collision broke the lock and shattered the door frame, making a loud noise reverberate throughout the hall. That didn't matter to him though as he was hit with the full heat of the room, hotter than any summer and stuffier than any hot car he had ever found himself stuck in.

He made his way to Phantom's body and lifted him up by the arms, dragging him out of the room. He winced when he saw the number of burns on the exposed parts of the merman's skin, but of course, Phantom's superhuman abilities won out and after a few seconds of being in the uncomfortably cold air of the hallway, the merman opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Danny_.

Tucker ran to the vending machine and shoved a dollar bill in it for a water bottle as students started making their way into the hall to see what the loud crash was, but by the time they made their way into a circle around Phantom, the merman's burns had already healed. 

Tucker ran over to him and uncapped the water bottle as Phantom's dizzy and disoriented eyes tried to focus. The younger teen held the water to the merman's lips and helped him take a few drinks, careful not to let it spill over on the siren's skin and expose him.

"What's going on?"

"Is he okay?"

"He's so pale."

"Oh my god, that room is so hot."

"Doesn't he have some weird allergy to heat?"

"Did Foley just bust that door down to save him?"

"How did Dan get stuck in there?"

"My god, he's sexy when he's in danger."

The voices around him seemed to bring Phantom down to Earth as teachers pushed through the crowd of students.

"Mr. Foley! Care to explain why you damaged school property?" a female science teacher put her hands on her hips as she prepared to either scold Tucker or send them both to the principal's office.

Not that Phantom was going to stick around to find out which would happen. 

_Danny_.

He shot to his feet, grabbing onto Tucker for balance when his vision went dark for a moment. "Woah dude, take it easy." the African said as he steadied the merman.

Phantom took off a second later though, not allowing his dizziness to stop him further as he pushed through the teachers and the students, leaving Tucker there to handle the situation himself. He needed to find Danny fast, and he allowed his nose to lead him straight to the human. He could make it up to Tucker later if the boy wished, but he didn't care about anything at the moment.

At least not about anything but the strangely overpotent smell of Danny, which could only mean one thing.

Fenton was bleeding.

A lot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha. Cliffhanger.


	28. Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter

Danny was home minutes later, the path that took him from school to his house was always very short when taken by car.

The raven unlocked his door and walked in, prepared to tell his father that he wasn't feeling good so he skipped his last class of the day, but when he was greeted by a quiet house and a note on the hallway table, Danny picked it up.

_Hey boys, I'll be out in court until later, there is fudge in the fridge and noodles on the stove if you get hungry. Love you both._

His father's scratchy handwriting was only readable to Danny and Jack himself, and Danny didn't need to try hard to understand what was on the note. He had been correcting his father's grammar ever since he got his first A in English at 12 years old, and he was a pro at reading the chicken scratch that his father called cursive.

Danny sighed and set the note down, along with his car keys.

_Of_ _course_ his father wasn't home. Jack was out dealing with legal systems and fighting for his precious son's protection because the boy was too weak to do it himself. Danny wondered if his father would be just as protective if he knew that he was sexually active with another man.

Probably not.

Danny took off the hoodie that he had used as a sort of mask during the second half of the school day and put it on the coat rack before heading up the stairs to his room. After throwing down his school bag like it was the bane of his entire existence, he threw himself on to his bed and buried his face in his pillow. The quiet sobs that Danny released were muffled, but the sound of them still broke something inside of him.

He hadn't really had much of a reason to cry since Phantom showed up at his house.

The teenager stayed like that for a few minutes, until the wet heat from his tears soaking into his pillow became too uncomfortable to keep his face pressed into, and he picked his head up to breathe. It was then that he realized that he had unknowingly buried his face in Phantom's pillow, and the scent of the merman comforted him for a second before depression snuffed out the hint of peace.

Tears spilled from his eyes as he fell to his side and curled in on himself, feeling utterly alone. Something inside Danny begged for him to take out his phone and call one of his friends, but he refused. They were all in class right now, already about 15 or 20 minutes in, and if Danny called now it would be _so_ inconvenient for them. 

That didn't make the temptation to hear one of their voices any less desirable, even if it was just for a moment. The boy ignored the need though, what would he tell them anyway? That he was sobbing in his bed because he was too messed up to finish the day at school? How pathetic did that sound?

He needed to stop pushing his problems on them. They had even made themselves into accomplishes for murder just so that he could protect Phantom. They would never have been in danger of the law if he hadn't been so _weak,_ if he had just protected himself and not have been such a damn idiot! Now they had found a body, and everyone involved with Vlad's death was about to have their lives ruined. He was so _careless_ , so inconsiderate of his friends and his father.

Phantom probably wouldn't care if he called, and logically Danny knew that too. Phantom didn't pay much attention in school anyway; he already knew most of the material.

He could probably call him...

No. It was bad enough Phantom was forced to live with him, the merman didn't need Danny forcing himself on him every time he felt lonely.

Danny sighed, covering his wet face with the comforter and attempting to take a deep breath. It seemed impossible to do so though as sobs wracked his form. At least he was alone in the house.

The opened door to his bathroom caught his attention, and for some reason, it was like it was calling to him. He didn't even feel the pressure in his groin to make the room more desirable than his bed, but it was like the room had grown an arm and it was pulling Danny to it by the front of his shirt.

Danny got up, tears no longer falling from his face as he made his way over into the bathroom to look himself in the mirror.

Damn, he looked horrible.

His eyes were red and puffy and tear streaks could be seen running down his cheeks. The boy sighed and turned on the warm water, splashing his face to clear off the grime before drying himself with a towel. His nose felt extremely stuffy so he grabbed a tissue and blew it as well. He didn't look much better when he looked in the mirror again, but at least his face no longer felt cold and crusty.

His razor caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and he froze as his eyes landed on it.

No. He shook himself, no way. Danny turned and was about to leave the bathroom but it was like an invisible rope kept him from leaving. He couldn't move as he stared wide-eyed at his bed but only saw the razor sitting innocently by the sink behind him.

Something snapped inside Danny at that very moment.

Before he even realized what happened, he was getting the hammer out from under his sink and smashing the razor to get to blade out of the protective plastic. Next thing he knew when the blade was free, Danny found himself sitting on Phantom's side of the bed as he stared down at it in his hands. HIs mind felt foggy, and he didn't seem to be in control of his actions anymore as his body did the work for him.

He laid down, set his head comfortably on the pillow and covered himself with the blankets before digging the blade into his wrist. The pain made him pause momentarily as a lick of hesitation made him stop. 

He watched a little drop of blood escape passed the blade, hypnotized by how red and pretty it was.

He didn't notice when his hand developed a mind of its own and finished the path across his wrist, slitting the skin apart and allowing the blood to drip freely onto the floor. Danny watched it as it cascaded out of the open wound and dribbled down his flesh, lost in how dark and red it was against his pale white skin.

There was so much.

He dropped the blade on the ground and dangled his bleeding wrist over the side of the bed, relaxing against the comfy mattress. The pain somehow comforted him enough to fall asleep, and he did a moment later.

Nobody would have to deal with his shit anymore.

...

Phantom panted as he ran down the street, still affected by the heat that he had been trapped in. Normally he wasn't this out of shape or affected by physical activity, as he normally had great stamina.

Stupid Spectra, screw her and her deviously well thought-out plot. Things were going to get difficult if Hades kept sending the more cunning half of their species after Danny. Not only had Phantom barely made it out alive, but he wouldn't have at all if Tucker hadn't happened to have been walking by the counselor's office and just _happened_ to see him lying there. Spectra turned out to be a pain in the ass for Phantom. She was so much smarter than Ember was, and he had not seen her coming.

The scent of Danny's blood was strong, and Phantom pushed himself to run faster as he finally made it up the stairs to the Fenton household. Danny's car was in the driveway, but Phantom didn't need to see that to know that Danny was in the house.

The merman shoved open the door, in desperate need of some water as sweat made its way down his back. In an effort to cool himself off, he worked his ice energy and threw off his leather vest as he ran up the stairs to Danny's room.

It was one thing to smell the blood and _know_ that Danny was bleeding profusely, but it was an entirely different story for Phantom to run in and see the sight before him.

Danny was lying in bed, his eyes closed and his face deathly pale as blood pooled in a puddle where his wrist continued to bleed. The sight hit Phantom like an angry bull and clouded his vision till the slit wrist was all that he could see. Danny's body was all he could register as he ran over to lift the boy onto his shoulders and carried him back down the stairs like a sack of potatoes.

The sound of a heartbeat pattering against Danny's chest only allowed Phantom a moment of relief as he grabbed Danny's keys off the hallway table and ran out the door, unconcerned with locking it behind him as he opened up the boy's car. Screeching tires could be heard down the street as people rushed out to see where it was coming from, but by then Phantom was already speeding off towards the hospital.

Danny's eyes cracked open after waking up from being manhandled and tossed around like a ragdoll, but he wasn't able to keep them open for very long. Distantly he was aware that Phantom was behind the wheel, but he was too sleepy to think too much about what was going on.

Phantom took a series of deep breaths, attempting to calm the intense nervousness that he could feel tightening in his chest, it hurt so bad, and he hated that he couldn't tell if it was an effect from the heat or if it was emotional.

He could smell that Danny was dying. The scent of death was like a poison in the raven's bloodstream that was rapidly infecting every inch of his body as he radiated pain and misery from his pores. Danny was perfumed with the enforced self-hatred inflicted in his manipulated mind, and it was suffocating -how potent it was on his skin. Phantom was finding more and more reasons for it to be difficult to keep his breathing under control as he fought the dizziness and fatigue trying to shut his brain down to sleep.

He didn't spend too long thinking about his own exhaustion though, instead, focusing on Danny's heartbeat. He concentrated on the sound of it as it beat weakly against his human's chest. He didn't know what he would do if the sound stopped, he _begged_ for the sound not to stop. It was already so soft, fighting to keep fluttering even as Danny's body continued to give up.

Phantom could hear the sound of tires screeching behind him just before cars crashed into each other, but the merman didn't feel sorry for causing multiple accidents as he sped passed stop lights and almost hit multiple pedestrians, nor did he bother to stop to make sure anyone else was okay. It didn't even bother him that multiple police cars were already yelling at him to pull over to the side of the road. He didn't stop though, all he cared about was getting Danny to the hospital. He could pay for the damages later if that's what they wanted, but he was not stopping that car until they were at the hospital.

When he finally pulled in to the emergency parking lot, he started blasting his horn until three nurses rushed out to the car, and he parked so they could open the passenger door. Danny's body was carried into the building as the three police cars that were following Phantom parked and ran over to the merman.

He wanted nothing more than to follow the nurses that took Danny, but the cops forced him to freeze where he stood. He kept his eyes on the human until he could no longer see him when he disappeared into the hospital, but by then his attitude had changed into one of mind-blowing anger.

He didn't know who he was angry at more, himself, Danny, or Spectra. Presently though, he was having a hard time not taking it out on the cops.

Luckily, an understanding cop made the struggle a little easier, apparently seeing where they were and who was just carried in on a stretcher, "Sir, I understand that this must have been an emergency, and you look to be very stressed out. Was that your brother that they just took in there?" Phantom was glad the cop had enough common sense to gather the obvious situation that they had found themselves in.

"My boyfriend," Phantom said as he tried to keep his anger, and his breathing, under control. "This is his car." It was extremely hard to do so with the headache burning behind his eyes, and the fact that he could no longer see Danny wasn't helping anything.

"Okay, nobody was hurt, despite how crazy you were driving, so I am just going to take the license plate, and put your ID on the record and let you get in there, we will call you about the damages later, okay?" Phantom couldn't help but feel grateful. He didn't know what he would have done if a stupid cop had talked to him.

Phantom allowed them to take the three minutes to get his information down, but by the time they were handing him his ID back and allowing him to get inside, he was already starting to feel the effects of the last hour. His adrenaline was starting to wear off and he was becoming increasingly exhausted as the seconds went on.

He wasn't allowed to see Danny for 30 minutes after that. Meanwhile, he sat in a waiting chair in the lobby ringing each of Danny's friends and trying to get a hold of Jack Fenton. The father was probably too busy in court right then because he was not answering Phantom's multiple calls, but the merman tried his phone every few minutes anyway.

Stress was evident on Phantom as the world around him spun, and when he finally gave up on getting a hold of Jack, he put his phone away and rested his heated face in his hands.

Ten minutes after calling Sam and Tucker, the two of them rushed into the emergency room.

"Where is he?" Sam asked in a rush of held breath as she and Tucker sped over to Phantom, but the merman could only answer with his hands up in surrender.

"I don't know anything yet, they took him in there half an hour ago. His heart is still beating though so something has to be going well." Phantom pinched his nose and rubbed at the tension away from his forehead.

"Dude, you don't look so good." Tucker said, "you aren't still affected from being stuck in that room are you?" They seemed to be a little less twitchy when Phantom told them that Danny's heart was still beating, and Phantom envied their ability to control their emotions.

"Don't worry about me," the merman answered bitterly with a bitter expression as a nurse walked towards them.

They all turned their attention on her with expectant faces as Phantom sat straight.

"Mr. Fenton is going to be fine," everyone breathed a sigh of relief, "we managed to stabilize him but he did lose a lot of blood and he is going to have to stay the night. Luckily we had his blood type or things could have turned out worse. I'm glad you got him here as fast as you did, I'm sure even less than a minute later and he would have been gone." She led them to the room. "You three can go in and see him now, but he is asleep." The nurse shut the door and left them there.

When they were alone, Sam looked up at Phantom and asked, "What happened?"

Phantom was so sleepy, "I need to tell you guys something, but later when we aren't surrounding Danny in his sleep. All you need to know right now is Danny did not do this of his free will." he laid his head down on Danny's bed, staring up at the raven's closed eyes as he grabbed the sleeping teen's uninjured wrist and held it.

If he was supposedly incapable of feeling attachment to another being, then why did it hurt and scare him so bad to see Danny the way he was?

Sam and Tucker looked at each other in confusion, wanting to ask the questions that filled their head.

What did Phantom mean it wasn't of Danny's free will? Why was his wrist in stitches right then if Danny didn't _mean_ to kill himself? What was Phantom hiding? What did he want to tell them? What was really wrong with Danny? Who trapped the merman in that hot room?

Whoever locked Phantom in the counselor's office in 130 degrees _had_ to know that Phantom was allergic to heat. Did that mean they knew his secret? Or was it just a jealous bully who pulled an elaborate and ill-judged prank?

Phantom was asleep before either of them could voice their many questions though, and as they glanced down to watch as the merman's hand tightened around Danny's, they sighed.

The siren was severely affected by the heat and from how he pushed himself today despite how weak he was. He needed to recuperate just as Danny did. The time for questions was not now, but they knew that they would be getting answers soon.

...

It was 10 o'clock at night by the time that Jack opened up his voicemail, concerned over the amount of missed calls from Dan and Danny's friends. But when he listened to the last voicemail left by Tucker, Jack nearly dropped his phone.

He roughly turned the key in the ignition and rushed over to the hospital, and when he got to Danny's room, he was finally able to shed a tear. His son looked so small in that hospital bed, lying there looking pale and exhausted. His raven hair was tangled and covering half of his face, hiding his closed and sunken eyes from sight, and as Jack approached, it registered that Sam, Tucker, and Dan were at his boy's side.

Seeing his son lying there and knowing how he ended up in that bed crushed him, Jack had no idea that his son was so sad. how had he let things escalate so quickly? Why didn't he notice that his son was suffering so badly? What was hurting his son so much that he would try to end his own life?

Did this have something to do with Vlad? 

The thought just kept getting closer and closer to home, and Jack wasn't sure if he was prepared to come to some sort of confirmation that it was true. He hoped, prayed, and begged to whoever was listening that his son did not do this because he was feeling regret that he did something to Vlad. Jack didn't know what he would do if his college buddy had done something to hurt Danny, leading to his son murdering him. Lately, though, the possibility was so close, it was practically shining in Jack's eyes like an overly bright flashlight.

Sam and Tucker got up and hugged the father when he walked over to the side of Danny's bed, unable to take his eyes off the raven's face. He couldn't believe this happened at 4 and he had taken almost 6 hours to get there. Why was he such a horrible father?

Jack collapsed onto a chair behind him as he covered his face in his hands, unable to look at Danny anymore. He wanted to get the image of the weak and pale imposter posing as his son out of his head. This was not his boy; his boy was strong, and happy, and loved by many.

How the hell was he going to tell Maddie and Jazz?

...

The annoying _beep beep_ of the heart monitor by Danny's bed is what woke the raven up the next morning, and he opened his tired blue eyes. Slowly as he blinked a few times from how bright the room was from the light shining in from the window and reflecting off the white walls.

When his memory flooded back to him like a bitch slap to the face, Danny's eyes widened and he looked around.

_Holly crap_ , Danny thought as the reality of the situation dawned on him, _what did I do?_

The hospital bed was uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as Phantom, Sam and Tucker looked when Danny caught sight of them all sitting in chairs on the sides of his bed. The siren was resting his head on the bed with the raven's un-bandaged wrist, and part of his hand, in a firm but gentle grip and the other two friends were attempting to use each other as pillows but it didn't appear to be working well for them.

The white-haired "teen" had bags under his eyes, and Danny felt terrible about what he did. He recalled the events that lead up to this, and all he could feel was regret and disappointment in himself. Why had he done what he'd done? He remembered feeling incredibly sad, but... why couldn't he stop himself? Danny never thought suicide was the answer, it had never even been an _option_ to him! How could he have allowed himself to give up in the span of a few hours?

He searched inside himself, introspecting the deepest darkest parts of his heart and soul. Aside from the anger that he felt at himself for what he did, he did not feel unhappy. He was not tempted to finish the job. He knew he did not want to die, he was too happy with his life the way it was right now. He had his father, Sam, Jazz, and Tucker, and now even Phantom. None of them had ever made him feel as helpless as he did the day before.

Well, besides when Phantom held him in captivity, that is, but even then, Danny had never really stopped wanting to live and be with his loved ones. They were all supportive and as loving as they could possibly be for him, they made him feel strong- _wanted_.

So why had he tried to get away from all that?

Phantom stirred next to him, and Danny focused on the darkness under the siren's eyes. Even with exhaustion written on every inch of the merman's body, he was still the most beautiful creature the raven had ever seen.

When lime green eyes opened and focused on the raven's apologetic face, Danny grinned sheepishly.

"You look terrible," the full human said to the hybrid.

Phantom blinked and lifted his free hand to run the sleep out of his eye, knowing the kid was admiring him despite the verbal insult.

"And you look like a complete dumbass," Phantom said back angrily as he sat up and glared heatedly at the younger boy. He briefly wondered why he was so angry at the boy when he knew that what happened was out of Danny's control, but the fact that it was all Spectra's fault did not extinguish the livid fire currently burning in his eyes.

Danny broke the eye contact, a fresh wave of regret taking his breath away. "I know." He didn't know what to say. I'm sorry? What would that do?

"I had to find your half-dead body bleeding out in your bed, Fenton. I had to drag you to your car and abandon _all_ vehicle safety cautions to get you to the damn hospital in time." Venom could be heard in the merman's voice as Danny was scolded, but somehow Phantom was able to keep his voice even and still make the raven feel like crying again.

Danny swallowed thickly as he lifted his gaze to look Phantom in the eyes, but he flinched when he saw the anger and torment there. He did, however, feel a flutter of happiness at the first signs of legitimate anguish. Danny may not have done a good thing, and he very much regretted it, but at least one thing was absolutely certain; "you know that feeling you had when you found me? That's what being scared shitless feels like when you're about to lose someone you care about."

Phantom's mouth dropped open, and he wanted to say something, but no words came to his mind.

Danny gave him a small smile, hopeless and full of sorrow, but happy in a strangely sad way, "Congratulations, Phantom, you know what anxiety feels like."

The merman closed his mouth, remembering how horrified he was to see the afflicting sight of Danny's wrist cut open, with his face paler than death with a huge puddle of his blood on the floor. It was an image that he couldn't get out of his head, and it made him quake to think about it.

"I don't like feeling it," he finally said as his grip on the boy's hand tightened. Everything that Danny had made him feel so far was mostly good and incredible emotions that he was learning to love, and even seek out. This dramatic change in emotional education made him sick to his stomach with how dramatically different it was to everything else.

"Nobody does." Danny did not take his gaze away from him as the siren stared back with a mix of emotions that Phantom wasn't sure he knew how to identify, let alone handle.

Finally Phantom landed on sadness, but Danny couldn't shake the feeling that the merman was feeling fear along with his sorrow. "Don't you ever make me feel it like that again."

Danny nodded, "Never again. I don't know what came over me, I was fine in the morning until Dash-." He stopped himself, wishing that he had kept his mouth shut. It was too late though, because he had already been thinking about what the older bully did and he knew that Phantom could hear.

The merman's eyes narrowed. "He did what?" He wasn't sure why the idea of Dash abusing Danny bothered him so much, especially since he had stood by and watched the bully do it in front of him and had barely done anything about it in the past. He didn't understand anything anymore. It was like everything he thought he knew was actually horribly wrong, and he was now learning what _right_ really was. He was not the same heartless siren that he was a year ago. He knew what heartache was, he knew what joy was, what true laughter felt like, and how good it felt to be close to another human.

The idea that Dash was consistently hurting Danny drove him up the fucking wall in anger.

A groggy yawn took Danny's attention away from Phantom, and he looked over to see Tucker yawning widely as Sam rubbed the kink in her neck with pain written on her face. Phantom's anger was forgotten as Tucker and Sam's eyes landed on Danny, who was now awake and looking at them for the first time since lunch the day before. They both looked relieved, their discomfort and their tight muscles forgotten as they leaned forward in their chairs.

"Danny!" Sam said with a hurt look on her face, "what happened yesterday?"

The worry was evident on both of his friend's faces, and Danny felt guilt and shame simmer in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, wanting nothing more than their forgiveness, but also knowing that he did something very bad and did not deserve it, "I don't know what came over me. I don't know why I did what I did, or why I didn't even call one of you guys." He looked down at his own bandages wrist, and the sight of the white wrapping only made him feel more dishonor.

He didn't know how he was going to look himself in the mirror after this.

Phantom started growling, but before anyone could question why his eyes were suddenly flashing red, there was a knock on the door. All of their heads whipped over to see two men cautiously entering the room. They were wearing nice suits and had matching sharp jawlines and sharp brown eyes.

"Hello Mr. Fenton, forgive the intrusion, I am agent Dunck and this is my partner agent Imagay." He motioned to the man behind him, "We are here to ask you a few questions regarding your godfather Mr. Masters."

If Danny's face wasn't already pale from exhaustion and from being in a hospital bed all night, then the severe drop in his blood pressure would have been noticeable on his face.

He gulped down the lump in his throat, "Sure go ahead," Danny did not want to talk to these people.

The cop looked between Danny and his friends, "wouldn't you like to do this in private?"

The raven shook his head no, "I have nothing to hide," he had everything to hide.

Dunck nodded with a shrug as Imagay took out a notepad, "Did you know Mr. Masters well?" The older cop asked.

Danny nodded, "well, he was my godfather anyway." It should have been an obvious answer.

"Yeah?" The men took a few steps farther into the room, but none of the teenagers offered to give the intruders a seat as they glared daggers at the two men. "How close were the two of you?"

"Pretty close," they were not close, "we were good friends," they were the farthest thing from friends.

"Really? So did you know that he was stalking you?"

Danny watched as agent Imagay scribble down notes onto the little scratch paper in his little notebook and bit his lip, "No, I had no idea."  
  
Dunck nodded, but Danny was not prepared for the questions to get more serious after that.

"It doesn't sound like it was consensual. Did he try to make a move on you?" Tucker and Sam's mouth dropped open in shock and anger as Phantom made a soft inhuman noise that was only heard by Danny.

Danny felt like he had been slapped in the face, "What?" the sound of the heart monitor beeping rapidly was easily played off by the outrage that the raven was feeling. "Of course, not!" he hoped the cops couldn't see the words 'I'm a fucking liar' on his forehead.

"I bet it would have made you angry right?" The cop pushed as Sam and Tucker stood up to try and do something about what was going on. How could these people harass Danny while he was lying in a fucking hospital bed?! "Angry enough to kill him?"

Those last words struck a cord if Danny, but not because he regretted that Vlad was dead. The cops just told him that they now suspected that Vlad was murdered. They were getting closer to the truth, and questioning Danny like this only proved that they were working to expose the truth. 

This was bad. This was very, very bad. He couldn't let them get to the truth. If anyone found out that Phantom murdered Vlad, he would be taken to prison, and there he would most likely be exposed as a merman and be sent to some research facility before the day was even over.

Danny and Phantom made eye contact, but the merman only quieted the raven's thoughts with a soft, _**settle down, precious**_ , into his head as he tightened his grip on the boy's hand.

"Hey!" Suddenly Jack Fenton's voice could be heard as the father made his way into Danny's room. "What do you two think you're doing? Danny is a minor, which means you can't question him without an adult present. Now unless you have a warrant for someone's arrest, I want you both out of here. My son will not be answering any more questions without a lawyer." the man's voice was strong, and he was obviously miffed about what he just walked in to see.

The kids sighed in relief, but the two agents just nodded respectfully at older man before leaving with sour expressions on their faces. 

Jack was carrying a big bag of NastyBurgers, and while Tucker and Phantom's mouth watered, Danny's father made eye contact with his son.

But Danny couldn't keep looking at the hurt and worry in those eyes, so he quickly looked away.

That's when the nurse walked in with a clipboard, unknowing to the tense atmosphere she had interrupted, "Okay, Danny, I'm going to change your bandages and sign your release papers, and you're free to go."

The raven nodded, feeling a bit relieved to get out of the hospital and get back to his normal life. This was a rare lapse in his judgment, and he would make sure that this never happened again.

Never again. The crushed looks that he was receiving from his father and his friends were not worth it. 

Danny never wanted to hurt them like this again, not if he could help it.

Phantom frowned.

 


	29. Red Hands

Phantom gulped when he and Danny walked into the raven's bedroom and he caught sight of the dried blood on the side of their bed. It was a deep shade of crimson mixed in with a brown dryness that reminded Phantom of the horror films that Danny forced him to watch with him every few nights.

Danny looked between Phantom and the dried blood on the floor, wishing the latter would disappear when he looked away. "I'm sorry," he said again as he went downstairs to grab a mop.

When the raven disappeared from view, Phantom tore his tired gaze away from the scene and decided he would take a bath while Danny cleaned up the... mess.

Phantom turned on the cold water, watching with a sigh as the tub filled up for a moment before going to the sink. He had seen Danny use a few of these when he treated himself to a hot bath to destress, and Phantom remembered how nice it smelled, so he grabbed one of the lavender bath bombs and dropped it in the half-filled tub.

The merman sat in interest for a minute as he watched the bath bomb disintegrate, flower peddles releasing to float around as the water turned a light shade of purple. It was pretty and looked inviting, so Phantom undressed. He usually had about 5 seconds after the first drop of water touches him before his legs go away, so he had no trouble getting into the tub before he changed.

The cold water soothes him. The heat exhaustion that he went through seemed to slowly ebb away as he relaxed into the chill of the tub. He could already feel himself getting better. This is definitely what he needed.

He could hear Danny shuffling in the bedroom, mopping up the floor and changing the sheets, but Phantom wanted to lose himself in the water, so he sank down and under the surface.

He took a deep breath, the gills on his neck filtering out the water from the oxygen as the lavender worked to soothe his nerves. His tail flapped around dryly over the edge of the tub due to the lack of space for his entire body, it was uncomfortable, but what could he really do about it? His body was much too large to curl up in the tub comfortably.

He kind of just had to deal with it.

...

Danny struggled with the effort of carrying the basket full of laundry out of the room and down the stairs, curse his petite size.

He especially struggled when he turned the corner and bumped right into his father, fully dropping the basket on the ground, the bloodstains visible to all who looked.

When Danny saw his father's face go pale at the sight of the stain, Danny quickly shuffled to cover them up, clutching the bedsheets to his chest protectively. "Sorry, I was on my way to clean them."

Jack swallowed, "no point, it's a b-blood stain, it's not going to come out. Just get rid of them."

Danny looked everywhere but at his father, "yeah, sure, okay, Dad. I will." That's when he noticed the bottle of wine in his father's hand, and his eyebrows rose in concern when he realized his father was just downstairs in the wine cellar.

Jack cleared his throat, unable to look at Danny anymore, "we will talk about what happened tomorrow."

A wave of shame wrecked Danny, and he wished he knew why he had done what he did, and why he couldn't stop himself. He had so many options, so many people who would have helped talk him out of it, even would have _distracted_ Danny long enough to get the thought out of his head without him having to tell them what was going on. He once again searched himself, putting everything he learned in psychology and from his sister to use, and he knew that he was not depressed enough to desire suicide.

So how did he give up so easily? It wasn't like him.

His father walked away, and Danny did a u-turn towards the front door to dispose of the sheets.

This isn't how he wanted to spend his weekend.

...

Phantom surfaced the water ten minutes later to sniff around and see where Danny was. The excessive quantity of his scent filled the room and made it hard to decipher just where Danny was, so he used his ears instead. From the pitter patter of his heartbeat, the sound of blood rushing through his veins, and the even breathing as oxygen cane and went through his lungs, Phantom knew that Danny was by the closet. Probably getting new sheets out to make the bed.

After a few minutes, Phantom heard that Danny had finished making the bed and was now laying on it. The merman heard the raven heave a big sigh, and it was so loud and stress filled that it almost sounded like he was about to cry.

 ** _Come here, pet_** , Phantom called, feeling an urge to touch the raven in some way.

A moment later Danny hesitantly came into the bathroom, almost hiding behind the door as he peaked at Phantom from around it. The boy's eyes were shiny, but it didn't look like he had started crying yet.

The sight of Danny calmed Phantom, though he didn't know that he needed calming until he saw how those eyes shined against the dim blue light of the bathroom.

"Strip and get in here," was all Phantom said, keeping his eyes on the other teenager who seemed unable to look him straight in the eye at the moment.

Danny pushed the door further open and fully entered the bathroom before shutting and locking it behind him. He turned around to face Phantom and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor where his pants and underwear joined a few seconds later.

Phantom bit his lip as he watched Danny take off his clothes, admiring as the boy exposed more and more flesh. It was pale and had multiple love bites from both previous feedings, and the quicky they had the morning before. The brief reminder of how loud Danny had moaned when Phantom held him face first up against a wall the morning after he killed Ember made the merman smirk Danny stepped into the tub.

Danny shivered at how cold it was, but it wasn't any different from getting into a pool or swimming in the ocean, so he ignored the uncomfortable chill as Phantom guided him to sit down, straddling him with a leg on either side of his tail.

The raven was holding back his tears with a sad expression, and he was still looking everywhere but at Phantom's eyes, which was starting to bother the older. So he pinched the human's chin between his fingers and forced him to meet his eyes, but it was at that eye contact that the barrier holding the raven's tears back seemed to break and the tears finally fell.

The siren repositioned his tail so that his fins could get wet for a few minutes, forcing him to sit up straighter. He was alright with that, though; it brought his face closer to Danny's, making it easier for him to catch the younger's lips in a short kiss. A loud smack sounded when the merman separated from his boyfriend, but the small amount of contact didn't seem to satisfy Danny.

The boy had shut his eyes the second those lips had touched his, but when they disappeared, his arms lifted to circle around the siren's neck and he leaned forward. Danny had no idea how much he needed Phantom until webbed hands were dragging up his spine from the small of his back and a tongue was gently prodding against his lips. Another tear fell down his cheek as he drowned in the contact that Phantom gave him. It fell on the merman's arm, giving the immortal flashbacks to when he almost killed Danny on that little island a year and a half ago.

A tear had fallen on his arm then, too.

Warm hands dug at his white hair and caressed around his ears, eliciting a shiver from Phantom that made him deepen the kiss as his green eyes slitted open. The deep red blush spreading across Danny's cheeks made the merman feel like he was being hypnotized. He couldn't control himself to look away; the contrast between the lightness of his skin, his flushed cheeks, and the darkness of his eyelashes as they framed a pair of closed eyes was entrapping.

Danny briefly broke the kiss to mutter, "I'm sorry." before claiming the merman's lips again. Phantom could smell the self-hatred and the regret that the younger was feeling, and the siren wanted it to go away. He wanted the sweetness of the boy's natural happiness back.

 ** _Shhhh_ ,** he whispered in Danny's head, knowing from previous experiences that he responded well to soft words and gentle sounds and touches.

This was the only way he knew how to console Danny. Being able to intimately read the raven's every thought and smell every emotion as it flowed out of his pores came in handy for this. Phantom thought that he knew Danny particularly well compared to his family and friends. They may have life-long relationships on their side, but the merman was the only one able to truly understand what was going on in the teenager's head.

Danny let out a small noise when Phantom gently scratched at the skin on the back of his neck, being mindful of his talons, and the younger teen responded by biting the merman's bottom lip.

The sensation had the siren's eyes shooting open as they flashed red and suddenly Danny was sitting a whole head taller than Phantom as the merman curled his tail. The raven's nipples were pink and hard from the coldness of the tub, but when Phantom's tongue poked out to give one of them a long wet lick, heat shot down to Danny's curling toes as he gasped.

"W-woah, Phantom," Danny said brokenly with wide eyes as the merman attacked his nipple with a practiced tongue and gentle nibbles from those razor-sharp teeth, " _Ahh_."

The siren hummed a deep growl that vibrated against Danny's chest and made the raven whimper. He retracted his claws on two fingers and probed at the little ring of muscle between the human's legs, loving the way it twitched when he poked the tips of fingers inside. Danny was always very vocal, but every sound the raven made did nothing but excite Phantom.

Danny's face fell to rest on the merman's shoulders, and the raven breathed in deeply when Phantom stuck the full length of his two fingers inside of him. The pheromones that Phantom released drove Danny crazy and he moved his hips in small circles, trying to get the fingers in deeper to touch that spot inside him that he knew would have him forgetting how to speak.

The sight of small slits in his face caught the raven's attention. Phantom's gills were like any normal fish's, long and on their necks, but the sight of them on his boyfriend intrigued Danny. 

Just as Phantom's fingers rubbed against that spot inside him, Danny poked his tongue out and dragged it along the slit that made it possible for the siren to breathe underwater.

Phantom's sight went dark and he was momentarily distracted from his task of blowing the raven's mind to the point he forgot how upset he was just two minutes ago.

Taking the hitch in the merman's breath as pleasure, Danny did it again, and again with much more confidence when Phantom outright moaned at the feel.

The merman's eyes turned red, and stayed red, as he flipped the boy around to face away from him. He shifted around so he was sitting on his "knees" and leaned over Danny's back, pulling his face up by the chin so that he could kiss him.

Danny hummed at the kiss, distracted, but things became clear when Phantom shoved his head under water by his black hair, forcing him to bend over on all fours. Danny briefly panicked before realizing he could breathe fine, he had almost forgotten that Phantom could make him breathe underwater with just one kiss.

Phantom's intentions became clear when Danny felt three fingers rub circles on his entrance, and the raven's eyes shut tightly. His cock was hard, and at the moment he was disappointed that Phantom was currently unequipped to have sex, because he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to have Phantom inside him.

His ass was the only part of him that was not underwater, but that's exactly where Phantom wanted him as he slipped his fingers inside. The purple water made Danny's skin glow, and licking his lips was all Phantom could do to keep from eating the raven whole- and not because he was hungry.

Danny's walls twitched and spasmed around the merman's fingers, and Phantom couldn't take his eyes off the puckered hole inches from his face.

They didn't get out of that bath until an hour later.

...

It was the morning after they got home from the hospital, and Jack was in the kitchen again drinking coke and attempted to find comfort in a large meat lovers pizza. As he sat there contemplating how the last couple years have gone, he didn't know when the drama would end. It was like, for every good thing that happened, something horrible also happened, and every bad thing that happened, something good seemed to happen.

Danny disappeared for almost 7 months and in that time Jack found out about his wife cheating on him with his best friend and they had a divorce. Then by some miracle, Danny came back, but with amnesia, about to die from anorexia, and suffering PTSD. However, Jack was somehow able to give Danny as much support as his son needed to recover within a year even without his mother's full attention. Now his son was healthy, successful, had good grades, and had a great new friend, Dan, who Jack was proud to admit was a good kid. Just as all the good going on is starting to make all their lives easier and things are really looking up, the universe chose to drop Vlad being a pedophile that also stalked Danny since age 12. Only now, Vlad was dead, and he was starting to think more and more that the creep tried to molest his son or something, so Danny killed him.

Jack wasn't a religious man, but boy did he pray to God that he was wrong.

"-Going to the dealership, Precious." Was that Dan? Was he on the phone with someone? Jack didn't know he had a girlfriend.

"Do you want me to drive you?" That was Danny's voice, and Jack could hear that the two were walking down the stairs. 

Precious? Why was Dan calling Danny by such an intimate pet name?

"It's okay, I'll walk, it isn't far. I think your dad want's to talk to you anyway." There was a moment of silence as Jack listened in, but he didn't hear anything for a good 2 minutes. After that though, he watched as Dan crossed the entrance to the kitchen to the front door and left.

Danny walked into the kitchen a moment later, and Jack immediately noticed the thin hoodie that Danny wore and knew what purpose it served. The bandages on the raven's wrist barely peaked out from the edge of his gray sleave, but somehow the hoodie made Jack even more aware of what was under that bandage and how it got there.

The air was tense as Danny walked to the fridge and grabbed a Kaprisan. For a moment, neither of the two men spoke. Danny knew there was an unspoken rule that restricted him from going back to his room without talking to his dad, so he stood by the sink and opened his juice, taking an awkwardly loud sip and waiting for his father to start the conversation. Danny may be very gay, and more in touch with his feminine inside, but that by no means meant that he was great about talking about his emotions with father.

"Sit down, son." The command was gentle, but Danny knew there was no way out of it. He would cause a whole new kind of shit storm if he refused to talk, and he wasn't ready for any more crap, so he silently sat down in the chair in front of his father. He could feel familiar anxiety start to burn at his insides, but he swallowed down the lump in his throat as he and his father made eye contact for the first time since... Danny didn't even remember when.

"There is no book on what to do in this situation, trust me I have been looking," Jack started, contemplating how he needed to go about this. He could not freak out, he had heard about parents freaking out in anger at their kids for trying to kill themselves and it did nothing but make matters worse. Jack could not allow himself to be angry right now, whatever his son was going through, he did not need an angry parent right now.

Jack collected himself, though he was going through his own distress, he was not the one who was important. All that mattered was if his son was okay.

"Please, son," he didn't want to assume anything, and though he had suspicions blaring in his face, he asked Danny anyway, "Tell me what is going on? What happened on Friday?"

Danny expected his father to sound angry, so when he heard how defeated Jack sounded, Danny paused.

What was he supposed to say? Danny couldn't even figure out why he did it, so how was he supposed to explain this to his Dad? The only thing that made sense was that somewhere deep down inside him he hated himself. 

He didn't hate himself though, he was a proud gay and life was more good than bad. Of course, he was still traumatized about what happened with Vlad, but he was still happy with how life was going. He was surrounded by love and Danny had no real intention of getting away from it. How was he going to get out of this conversation? He knew his father was not going to be satisfied with a simple explanation like "I felt like dying at the time but I'm okay now"

He was going to have to expose something horrible going on in his life, Danny was going to have to either tell Jack about the bullying or allow him to make his own conclusions.

There was only one option.

"Uh..." Danny blinked uncertainly as he continued with a stutter, "You know Dash?"

Immediately Jack's face darkened, and Danny wondered if telling him about the consistent bullying was a good idea.

The teen was suddenly very unsure of himself, but he continued anyway, "Uh, yeah, he still hits me sometimes, calls me names, shoves me, screams at me." he listed off Dash's bullying tactics like he was discussing a grocery list, "So I guess I just broke."

Jack looked angry as he attempted to decipher how to process this. "What do you mean Dash is still harassing you?" Luckily the restraining order would be in effect by the end of the week and Dash will not be allowed within 30 feet of Danny. This was getting out of hand, first Dash almost kills Danny with his other jock friend, now Danny was trying to kill himself because he couldn't escape the harassment. "What about that other punk, is he messing with you too?"

Danny waved his hands up, "No, no, Quan actually apologized to me a while ago and we haven't talked or interacted on purpose since." They had gotten $1,300 from both of the bully's parents from the assault charges against them, and as far as Danny knew both Dash and Quan's parents were making the bully's get jobs to pay them back. While Quan seemed to genuinely feel bad about almost committing manslaughter, Dash just seemed more vengeful than ever. Personally, Danny thought he could handle it, but what if the reason he attempted suicide was actually because of Dash? What if he wasn't as strong and willful against the bully as he thought?

"Do you want me to transfer you to a different school? Would that help?" Jack asked after a moment, and Danny knew that his puppy ears were drooping at the sight of how stressed his father was.

"No Dad, I don't think that will help, I'll be away from my friends, I won't know anyone, and I'll just be a new kid and I don't want that. Besides, there is only one other high school in Amity Park and it's a private school that bans any sort of personality expression." If he didn't have a reason to want death now, then he definitely would after a week in that private school.

"Son please, tell me what you want me to do." Jack put his hands flat on the table and Danny could only feel his heart drop further. He couldn't believe he did this to his Dad. "What do you need me to say, what do you need me to do to help you?"

"Dad, I don't-"

"Is it your Mom? Do you want to visit her more often?"

"No, Dad, listen-"

"Do you want to be homeschooled? Because I am okay with taking you out of public school and hiring private tutors for you." Jack loved and cared for his son so much, and Danny was almost taken from him for a second time, only this time he knew that Danny would never come back. He could handle losing Maddie, he could handle losing his best friend- twice. What he could not handle was losing his son forever because some _punk_ _bully_ pushed him over the edge- figuratively and literally.

Danny swallowed, shame burning in behind his eyes, but he refused to cry even though the sight of his father shaking broke something inside him. He did this, this was all Danny's fault, he had no one to blame but himself. "Dad, don't take me out of school. I just had a freak moment. I promise it won't happen again. The restraining order is going to take effect soon, isn't it? Let's give that a chance."

Jack rubbed his face in his hands, he wanted nothing more than to attack Danny with the questions burning in his head screaming to be let out, but he swallowed them down. Instead, he got up and walked around the table to kneel down in front of Danny's chair.

"Son, I'm going to tell you something very important. I don't really say it often, but as a father, it's my job to make sure you know this."

Danny's face heated up, the lies that he was keeping bitten back on his tongue painful as he attempted to keep his composure. He loved and trusted his father very much, and as his son, deep down he wanted more than anything to tell of what Vlad did. So that his father could somehow make it better. Danny couldn't risk it though. He couldn't let Phantom get arrested.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Jack needed his son to know this, wanted him to know it. He wanted Danny to tell him if Vlad tried to hurt him, he wanted Danny to feel safe and comfortable with telling him the truth. That was all Jack wanted, was the truth. Danny could say that he murdered Vlad, cut him up, rage killed him and then got rid of the evidence, and Jack would understand. He wasn't exactly ready to hear that his son was a murderer, but it was better than being left in the dark while his son attempted suicide out of guilt.

Danny swallowed down the truth, "Of course I know that, Dad."

Jack searched Danny's blue eyes, looking for signs of truth. There were none. Danny was lying, and Jack knew it. 

His son always was a bad liar.

"So there isn't anything you want to tell me?" Jack asked, hoping he would get some inkling, some sign of the truth. He had always tried to teach his son that the truth was the best protection, had always tried to teach him that honesty was what brought happiness. "Anything at all."

Danny caught on at that. His father didn't believe him. Which meant he was still suspicious and he would probably be until he found the truth on his own. He had to do something to make sure his father was satisfied. 

"Dad, I'm gay." 

The revelation seemed to stun Jack for a moment before he started laughing hysterically. Leaving Danny to sit there in confusion as a small tear fell from the older man's eye.

"Oh, Son. You have no idea how happy you just made me." Jack wiped a tear that started slipping down his face. If this was truly what was bothering Danny, then he could work with that. 

It all made sense then, Danny was ashamed of himself, probably because he thought his mother and father wouldn't accept him. This Dash kid probably knew and was picking on him for it. Jack still wasn't happy, but at least there was an explanation other than what Jack thought was going on.

"Danny, I knew that already." Jack smiled at his son when he was done laughing.

"What?!" Danny's eyes widened, "For how long?" His cheeks were burning now more than ever, he had thought this would be a huge dramatic discussion mostly consisting of him awkwardly explaining to his father when and how he came to the realization that he liked guys.

"Since you were a small boy. Don't you remember that one time when you were four and you and Tucker were in the sandbox? Maddie, the Manson's and the Foley's started screaming and running to you when they all busted you kissing Tucker. I was too shocked to move."

Danny could almost hear the panic music and see the flashing colors floating around him as he exclaimed, "What?! Wha-what, when and why did this happen?" He couldn't remember ever doing that. He hoped Tucker didn't either and he hoped that his father was messing with him.

"Your mom had just gotten through explaining to you after you walked in on me kissing her, that kissing was only something you should do if you loved someone very much. So you went outside, passed up Sam, and marched straight for Tucker. Tackled him down like you saw me do to Maddie and everything. I thought it was just a thing that happened and it didn't mean anything, but the way you grew up, your habits and how you interacted with people, I've always known you just had to be gay."

Danny didn't know he could feel so mortified. It wasn't the thought of kissing Tucker that horrified him, it was the fact that he did this so young, with all the parents watching, and the possibility that Tucker remembered this.

Jack laughed at his son's bright red cheeks, "If it's any consolation, from what I saw, it appeared you had a pretty good technique for a 4-year-old."

Danny facepalmed, wanting nothing more than to go to his room now.

"Son, all joking aside if that's what has been bothering you; thinking I might not love you if you liked guys, then you're worrying over nothing. You could tell me you're attracted to fish and have a sexual relationship with a blue whale, and you would still be my son." Jack put a hand on the top of the teens raven hair and messed it up, and Danny was so touched at what his dad said that he was almost ready to cry tears of joy right then.

It wasn't exactly what had been torturing his mind for the past couple months, but it was still a relieving load off his back to know that the truth was out, and he would be accepted no matter what.

"I don't mind you dating Dan either if you're concerned about that. He's a good kid, and a very good influence, Maddie is wrong about him, and I am proud of both of you." 

Danny hugged his Dad then, "Thanks, Dad. You don't know how much that means to me."

Jack smiled adoringly down at the top of Danny's head, hugging him back. "Just leave me out of whatever you two do when I am not around."

Danny's eyes widened.

"I'd like to think you two aren't doing anything in my house, but I was a teenage boy once. If I walk in on you two at any time, or if I hear anything, smell anything, or even stumble upon some evidence, I will separate you two at night. As far as I know, you are still a virgin angel."

Danny chuckled nervously, hoping not to hear anything else. It was always awkward for any kid to even mention sex to their parents. "yeah, okay, Dad. Can I go and do my homework now?"

Jack nodded, and a moment later, Danny disappeared from sight up the stairs.

The air was tense again, and Jack didn't understand why his instincts told him something was still out of place. 

...

Phantom tapped on the door to Tucker's house. He had just left the Fenton house a few moments ago.

Tucker answered a minute later, and the siren didn't wait to be invited in before he walked right into the house.

"Sure, Phantom, just come right in. No need to ask first." Tucker mumbled sarcastically as Sam walked up to greet the merman.

"Hades wants Danny dead."

No longer there was the offense on Tucker's face, and Sam froze mid-step behind the African teen. Neither of them believed that Hades was anything more than a greek fictional character that only existed in fairy tails. Though that was what they thought about mermaids too, and look where they were now. 

Tucker and Sam looked at each other before they started questioning Phantom, "What do you mean 'Hades wants Danny dead'?" 

Phantom started explaining why sirens were made, what Hades created them for, and what they were supposed to do in their lifetime. Telling both of the teenagers why he was being punished was much easier than he thought it would be, though he would have liked to keep it a secret.

Secrets were not important anymore, hiding the truth was not smart if he wanted Sam and Tucker's help. It was time for storytelling and Phantom left nothing out.

"Now Hades has been sending assassins on land to murder Danny so that Hades can take his soul, just to punish me."

"Wait, slow down Phantom. You mean to tell me that you, a siren, are being punished just because you love Danny?-"

Phantom was about to deny that he felt love, but Tucker kept talking.

"But because life was going too smoothly for you, the god of the underworld decided to send sirens after Danny just to make your life miserable?" Lucky for all three of them, Tucker's parents were not home, using the money that Tucker gave them every month to go out on classy dates.

"That's exactly what I just got through explaining, genius." Phantom said venomously, "Two sirens have already made an attempt on Danny's life. I killed one of them, but the other locked me in that closet and had her way with Danny. That's why he ended up in the hospital because some demon witch used her powers to make him depressed enough to kill himself."

"So that's how you ended up in that closet, Spectra knew you would die in extreme heat, so she locked you in there so you wouldn't be able to save Danny." Tucker was suddenly appreciating his tiny blatter more. If he hadn't taken a potty break at the right time, he wouldn't have found Phantom, and he and Danny would both be dead right now. 

Sam and Tucker were both relieved that what happened the other day was not Danny's own conscious actions. It meant that as long as Spectra stayed away, or they kept Spectra away from Danny, then the boy wouldn't make a second attempt at suicide.

Tucker and Sam seemed to finally be keeping up and catching on, "So have you told Danny any of this?" Sam asked.

The merman shook his head, "No, he is already stressed about Vlad's death, and I know that I am going to have to be killing these assassins as they come. He doesn't need to be aware that my kill count is growing. He's worried enough that I'm going to get arrested soon."

"Okay, well let us help you." Tucker said, knowing that Phantom wouldn't be telling them any of this if he wasn't admitting he needed help, "We know how to get into Mr. Fenton's lab, we could use his weapons."

"Good, I'm going to need you guy's help keeping an eye on Danny when I am not around." He was already starting to get angsty about leaving Danny for so long.

"Can't you smell them coming or something?" Sam asked.

"I wish I could," Phantom picked out his phone when it beeped, reading the text from Danny. 

' _Love you, gorgeous.'_

It was such a little thing to do, but the tiny message still affected him as greatly as it did when the raven kissed him. Truly amazing.

"Siren's can block their own scents from other sirens whenever they want, though," the merman continued as he stared down at his phone screen. "If they don't want me to know that they are coming, I will not know. I can only recognize them if I see their face and they lived in the same cove as I did." He pocketed his phone. "I told Dany I was going to the dealership to pick up my car, so he is expecting me back soon. I just came to tell you guys what is going on.

"No problem dude," Tucker said. "Text us when Danny goes to sleep tonight and open the door for us so we can get the weapons."

Phantom nodded and left, walking down the street to the dealership. He quickly sent a text back to Danny.

_'You're a dork.'_

 


	30. Tempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG School is finally over for the semester.
> 
> Freedom tastes good.
> 
> I have the next two weeks free.

**_Fun fact: If you are wondering how the siren's who are heat based are able to survive under the extremely cold temperatures of the water, it is because their bodies are biologically insured with temperature stabilizers that resist hypothermia when inhabiting the normal external temperature range. So, as long as they migrate when the temperature of the sea water starts to drop due to weather or other environmental changes, they can survive._ **

**_When Hades turned them into humans, their normal temperature range in which they are able to successfully regulate their own temperature compresses to any other humans. Furthermore, what doesn't change after becoming human is their need to stay in a certain external temperature, and without the ability to keep themselves warm, they are severely compromised when suffering from Phantom's ice power._ **

**_It's kind of like what we as humans do; when we ourselves get cold, our body does something to raise our body temperature to lower the risk of freezing, and when we get too hot we sweat to release the internal heat so we don't have a stroke. Only in this fanfic, the biological advantage for the sirens is like our own, only on superman-level steroids._ **

**_..._ **

**_I was never a scientist, and while I did have an A in AP bio, I do not claim to be great at it. But in Fanfiction, I can do whatever laws of science that I want._ **

...

Samantha breathed, her slender green tail flapping against the surface of the water as she waited and watched for her next prey. She hummed softly to herself and took in the heat of the sun. The slight chill would bother her soon, and she wanted to get as much heat as she could before she started to dry up.

She didn't need to turn her head to know that Hades had appeared next to her.

"So," she started, her voice as low and sultry as it normally was, "The other two dimwits failed, am I correct?" The whole cove knew about Ember's fail after Spectra was assigned for the same mission, and it didn't take a genius, let alone a siren, to know that Hades wouldn't personally contact yet another mermaid if Spectra had completed the job.

Hades nodded, "Yes," his voice sounded stressed as he started to wonder how many merpeople he would have to send after one human child before he got what he wanted. "I miss-judged how capable they both were."

Samantha smirked, her razor-sharp teeth visible to anyone who was looking, "Spectra and Ember were stupid. The key isn't getting to Danny first, It's making sure Phantom is incapable of being there to save the human."

Hades stared blankly at her, she wasn't nearly as cocky as the other two imbeciles had been when he approached them with the mission. He was sure that this mermaid would use her head and actually get something done. "I'll give you legs until you complete the mission. I have faith in you, Samantha. Your manipulative and evil nature surprises and concerns even me sometimes."

Hades disappeared after that, and with a smile, Samantha dove into the water and swam towards shore. She was already formulating a plan, and she would not disappoint her god.

...

"Afternoon class," Mr. Lancer greeted as he walked in. "We have a new student, I just bumped into him on my way to class, come in Gregore." The out of shape teacher stepped aside to let in a guy with white hair and black sunglasses in.

Danny looked up from his notes briefly just to glance at the new student, but he lost interest almost immediately and then started doodling on his paper, waiting for class to start.

"Hello," the new guy started, his Hungarian accent was a lethal weapon to the lady's but the sunglasses felt like a lack of character to Danny, "My name is Gregore, and my family just moved here from Hungary." Gregore tipped his glasses a little down his nose and Phantom saw his eyes land on both him and Danny. "I heard about my favorite pop singer and his cute songwriter living in Amity Park, and that is what brings us here."

Danny's eyes lifted and he and Gregore made eye contact. The stranger wore nothing but black and white, but even though his hair was obviously damaged from the number of times he had to have dyed his hair to get it that white, Danny was sure the girls were going to be attracted to his 8 out of 10 appearance anyway. The taller teenager smirked when he noticed that Danny was looking at him, and he winked flirtatiously, but Danny just blinked densely and went back to doodling.

"Nice to meet you Gregore, why don't you take a seat in any of the empty chairs and we can start class," Mr. Lancer said and went to the board to start writing the days agenda.

Of course, Gregore chose to sit in the seat next to Danny, opposite from where Phantom sat. The merman glared at the punk wanna-be, hearing and reading his every thought as he purposely sat and stared at a clueless Danny. The raven was now working on some song lyrics and was so distracted in his task that he didn't notice the energy hitting him from each side.

Mr. Lancer started class and it was no longer appropriate to talk, so as the students started taking notes or texting their friends under the tables, Phantom watched Gregore from the corner of his eye as he monitored everything that the kid was thinking. He knew from past experience that it didn't matter if Danny would let a loser hit on him or not; if said loser wanted to get in his pants, they potentially would do it by any means necessary.

Gregore leaned an elbow up on top of the desk, pretending to take notes as he glanced over at the cute raven next to him every few seconds. Daniel Fenton looked more feminine than the media gave him credit for. The slimness of his chin and the roundness of his cheeks made his eyes look much bigger than they were, but that did nothing to deter Gregore's attraction when he noticed how the light of the classroom reflected off the crystal blue irises. His raven hair looked incredibly soft and the boldness from his black lashes contrasted against his perfectly white skin in the prettiest way. It almost looked as if he was glowing. He _needed_ to go on a date with this boy.

Gregore scribbled a little note and slipped it on Danny's desk when the teacher wasn't looking, and he winked when the boy glanced at the tiny paper.

He frowned in confusion when Danny gave him what looked like a disapproving look before brushing the little note off his desk, and Gregore watched as it fluttered to the floor to be forgotten as the cutie went back to writing lyrics instead of class notes.

_'Wow'_ , Gregore thought, usually, when he complimented someone's appearance so poetically, people would give him more of a look of adoration. Daniel Fenton was gay, wasn't he? Could the media have been wrong? No, that couldn't be it, he had seen many leaked pictures of the songwriter kissing another guy. He shrugged, perhaps the American gays often played hard to get. No problem, he could handle a little bit of attitude. It would be a little strange for him considering that back home boys and girls would fall into his lap almost daily, but it would be interesting to experiment in a challenge. It was time plan B.

He thought that maybe the lack of eye contact was the possible problem, he knew from Daniel's bio that his favorite color was neon green, and his eyes just so happened to be that color thanks to the contacts he wore. He took them off and barely whistled loud enough to gain the smaller boy's attention, but when he did, Daniel appeared to have trouble containing his laughter, and Gregore almost felt embarrassed.

The raven choked in the effort it took not to burst out laughing. Those were the fakest contacts Danny had ever seen, and it was obvious that Gregore was purposely trying to look similar to Phantom in order to pick up girls, and apparently him too. The new kid would almost pull off the real copy-cat look if he would learn to have some humility, but the fakeness in both his appearance and his personality made him look downright embarrassing.

Gregore gave up after that for the time being, shocked that his normal flirts didn't work. He would have to go into plan C.

...

The bell rang, signaling it was time for 7th period, so Danny and Phantom put their notebooks in their bags and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Dan," Paulina said as she approached the singer for the fifth time that week- and it was only Wednesday. "So, I'm having a party Friday."

"No," Phantom said immediately, that has become the only word that he ever says to her.

"Danny and his loser friends can come too if that is what it takes for you to show up." Paulina tried again as Danny watched Phantom put his bookbag on his shoulders.

"No." The merman said again and walked away, and Danny caught the smirk in amusement at the Latina's constant rejection. Danny shrugged at Paulina and followed the singer when she looked at him as if Danny had personally offended her by Phantom's decline.

"Daniel," Danny heard the Hungarian accent before he felt a grip on his hand, and the raven stopped short in discomfort. He didn't like being grabbed, but at least the action was innocent enough that he wasn't triggered.

He pulled his hand away quickly though, not saying anything as Phantom stepped closer to him. They both gave Gregore a pointed look, but the teen didn't seem to be bothered by Phantom's glaring, nor did he catch on to Danny's barely concealed miffed expression.

"I am new in town," Gregore said, "So I need someone to show me where all the popular spots to hang out are at. I have a G-wagon parked outside, would you like to show me your favorite place to eat after school?"

Danny frowned, but shook his head, "Sorry, but, no." He turned towards Phantom then, ignoring the rise in the copycat's eyebrows. His boyfriend slung an arm over his shoulder and guided him out the door then, and Danny happily followed.

Gregore frowned, the sight of his favorite pop singer's muscular arm around the younger raven's shoulders did something to him. Jealousy and territorial instinct threatened to make a home in his mind. He had to be chill though, Daniel was obviously in a relationship, and he would have to respect that for the time being.

He'd get his chance soon, in the meantime...

Gregore looked to his left and watched an irritated Latina as she shoved her sweater into her backpack. She was well endowed with an hourglass figure and nearly flawless sunkissed skin that made his mouth water.

"Hello," He said as he approached the woman, "Does the pretty lady have a name?"

His appearance worked like a charm this time as he flashed his green eyes at the girl, because she blushed and giggled.

...

When Phantom and Danny walked into the hallway, they were hit with the sound of excessive whispering. They both looked around, Phantom reading peoples heads and becoming more and more concerned as Danny tried really hard to hear what everyone was talking about. It was pretty normal for the whole school to be interested in a current event that was going on, but it was usually on social media by then and Danny hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary.

That's when his phone beeped and he pulled it out to see a text in the group chat. Phantom looked over Danny's shoulder as the human opened the message and read the text from Tucker.

'Guy's, oh my gosh, Sam you're going to freak out when you see her.'

It was immediately followed by a text from Sam.

'I know people are saying that she looks just like me, but we can't be that similar. I'm not convinced she is a reason to have the school talking.'

Phantom and Danny looked at each other, but it was the next second that Tucker sent a picture in the group message.

The merman's face paled when he saw the picture while Danny's just blew up with shock. "Wow, that really does look just like Sam. Only less gothic and more... Emo? Sean? Punk? I'm not sure how to describe her choice in style."

'Holy shit...' Sam texted back, probably equally shocked at the look alike. Literally, they could be twins. Danny wouldn't know the difference if it wasn't for the fact that Sam would never be seen wearing such a revealing forest green dress. It was short and strapless, and the only other thing the new girl seemed to be wearing was some greek styled black sandals that had buckles twisting and curving up the length of her shins. 

She was definitely beautiful, even Danny couldn't help but stare at her for a second. Everything looked just like Sam from the pale white skin and black hair to the curve in her hips. All he could think about was how much it felt like he was looking at Sam, which was a little weird considering it was odd to think that this was what Sam would look like if she was less conservative. The look-alike had a confident and seductive smirk on her face when the picture was snapped while she had to have been walking down the hallway. Danny wouldn't be convinced however that this wasn't actually Sam until he saw both his best friend and this imposter standing together or something. This had to be a troll.

Phantom sniffed the air, and immediately knew that trouble was afoot. Something was in the air that should not have been there. It was strange and dangerous, but pleasant in the worst way possible. 

"Let's get to class." He urged Danny. If Samantha was really here, Phantom knew that she was trouble. She was one of the more cunning siren's from the cove, and Phantom was suddenly glad that he told Sam and Tucker about what was going on. He would definitely have his hands full with this one.

At least he knew for a fact that she wouldn't dare try anything with so many humans around. Worst case scenario, she's only here to scope out her prey or stir up trouble, but more than likely she was planning to strike later when Danny was vulnerable and no one else was around.

The merman came to an unfortunate surprise as he and Danny got closer to their next class and his brain started to turn fuzzy with the scent that hit his nose. He shook his head to throw off the manipulation and forced himself to keep his head together as he and Danny walked into the classroom.

Phantom held back an animalistic hiss as he and Samantha made eye contact. Her face was twisted in malicious amusement while the merman's whole body twitched with the desire to tear the other siren apart.

Samantha was standing in the front of the classroom as everyone attracted to women drooled and stared at how good the siren looked in her tight fitting forest green dress. Her raven hair was short but choppy and messy, making her look rugged and sexy as her green eyes glowed as brightly as Phantom's.

Her long legs were pale and looked incredibly soft with the lack of dry skin or hair, and the pheromones that poisoned the air around Phantom almost made him want to run his hands along the expanse of her tempting flesh. He growled and resisted the urge. 

This wasn't good. If this was how she was going to play, things were going to get very bad very fast. Phantom had not expected her to freely display her pheromones, he thought she would try to hide her scent so that he couldn't detect where she was. Nope, she now had him in check. 

Samantha licked her lips as she stared at him, poking her pink tongue out to swipe at her upper lip. The black lipstick did not smear even as she did this, remaining perfectly done and leaving her lips looking deadly.

Danny stared at her for a brief moment, still amazed at the resemblance between the new girl and Sam, but after that moment, he took Phantom's hand and walked them over to their seats. He did not like the way the Sam-look-alike was looking at the merman. Luckily though, there was no chance of her sitting next to them, as there were no free seats anywhere close.

"Welcome Samantha, how nice to have one more classy girl in the school." Mrs. Sanchez said as she walked up to shake the new girl's hand. "Please take a seat wherever you like."

She did, and class started with little distraction from Danny. Phantom, however, found it hard to breathe knowing that it was the siren on the other side of the room that was manipulating her scent to smell so enticing.

The rest of the school day was more or less uneventful, until the end of 8th period came and Phantom knew from Samantha's smell that she was hanging out by Danny's car, so he got out of class early to confront her there.

He stepped out of the building, and immediately the smell was more intense, but he shook his head and focused on the pressing issue that needed direct attention; Samantha was by Danny's car, and it didn't look like she was waiting there to teach the boy how to swim.

When he walked up to her, she turned her head and they made eye contact, but she didn't seem alarmed, or even defensive. She just stood there leaning against Danny's car with her arms crossed and that devilish smirk on her face.

Phantom stepped closer till he was only a couple feet from her, "What are you doing?" 

Her smile grew, "Believe it or not, Hades did not send me to kill the human."

The merman's head tilted in confusion, knowing that she had to be lying. What would she possibly be here for if it wasn't to kill Danny? Something was up.

"I'm here because you are a very powerful siren, and Hades doesn't think your talent should be wasted." She stepped closer to him, and he could feel his mind go foggy as her smell intensified. Suddenly Phantom was unable to move away, he could hear himself commanding distance, but his feet wouldn't move. He could feel his nerves start to shake as he realized that he was in a terrible situation right then; he didn't know what she was going to do or why she was forcing her scent to be so powerful.

Two could play at that game though, and he forced his scent to be just as strong and manipulative as hers was.

That was the wrong move, and he knew it as soon as her eyes rolled back for a second and she smiled wider as she got closer. He quickly simmered down his scent, an idea of what she was going to do rooting itself in his head, he had to move away, he had to get away, but he couldn't. His legs were not doing as he told them to, and the idea of creating distance between himself and the female was looking less and less desirable.

"I was told to bring you back Phantom," she was inches from him now, "Hades forgives you, he wants you to go home and continue to do what you were meant to do."

That made no sense, and Phantom knew that. Hades was not one to forgive and forget. This wasn't right, Samantha was trying to cause problems.

Before he could even attempt to sort out the cluster of fog in his brain and figure out what the siren planned to do, the door to the locker room opened and less than a second later lips were on his.

He was stunned, horrified, but unable to move as arms circled around him. It felt wrong, these arms were too pale, these lips were too soft, the taste was too salty, the smell was too sweet and there was no short untrimmed hair brushing against the side of his face.

"Phantom."

It was that small, broken voice that gave Phantom the strength to pull away, and he shoved Samantha, forcing her to be thrown against the side of Danny's car. He took a few short breaths, but that was when the fog cleared from his head and he was able to register a different smell. It was just as strong as Samantha's but utterly familiar, and it reeked of pain.

His head whipped over to see a stunned Danny still holding the locker room door open with one foot out the door as if he had frozen mid-step. The look on his face was pale, shocked, and Phantom didn't need the years of experience on understanding emotions to know that the pain that twisted Danny's features was because of him. Because of what he just walked in on Phantom and Samantha doing.

His smell almost choked Phantom, it was so sour with hurt and betrayal. Phantom had no idea what to do, but when he called out Danny's name, the boy's eyes narrowed and the anger hit the merman right in the chest. It was so strong that the human nearly threw him back with just the glare that Danny had now.

Danny pulled out his keys and unlocked his car as he stomped his way over to the female siren. Without a care in the world, he grabbed the still recovering girl by the hair and dragged her a few feet away from his door, much to Phantom's horror. For a second the merman was afraid that Samantha would lash out, but she was still disoriented from the blow to her head when Phantom shoved her. 

Danny was able to assault the female siren and slam the door to his car unharmed, which would have excited and turned Phantom on if it weren't for the circumstances.

The sound of the car running threw Phantom into action and he got up to start banging on Danny's window.

"Danny. Danny, we need to talk." He knocked on the window but the human wouldn't even look at him as he put the car in reverse, and the sound of screeching tires had Phantom taking multiple steps back to avoid being hit when Danny backed up and drove off like a crazy person.

Phantom called the boy's name one more time, but it was too late, Danny had driven off. The reality of the situation hit Phantom like a wrecking ball as the last couple minutes replayed in his head. 

Danny would want nothing to do with him for a good long while, which meant he was likely going to make sure Phantom stayed away. With multiple siren assassins after Danny, it was too dangerous for Phantom to leave the boy on his own, but that is exactly what Samantha had planned. That was why she came to school today, why she was more focused on him and not Danny despite the obvious mission, why she waited by Danny's car knowing that Phantom would confront her. She had set him up, set him up so that just as Danny was walking out of the locker room, she would strike and turn Danny against him so he would be left unprotected. 

It was devious, evil, manipulative, but oh so smart. Samantha had proven herself more of a danger than the other two sirens that came after Danny. This one was smart, and she had played her move. 

A dark cloud of anger settled above Phantom, and his eyes glowed a bright red, but when he turned to give Samantha a piece of his mind, she was gone.

...

Danny kicked him out.

Of course, he had checked the weather first to make sure it wasn't going to rain, gave Phantom an umbrella just in case, and his charger and all, but that night, he wasn't allowed in the house.

Currently, he was trying to call Sam or Tucker to tell them what was going on and hopefully convince one or both of them to spend the night in Danny's room, but neither of them would answer his calls. In fact, Phantom was almost positive they were purposely _ignoring_ his calls and texts.

What petty little assholes.

He sighed and threw his phone when it said the battery was dead. Danny gave him a charger, but he wasn't about to go hunting for an outlet when the boy was so unprotected. 

Phantom stood outside Danny's house, staring up at his window. Smelling and listening to every little detail that happened. 

Danny had cried for hours, but he had called Sam and Tucker for comfort a while ago. Which was most likely the reason that the other two were ignoring him, they were mad about what he did. Phantom supposed that was understandable; He hurt Danny, so everyone who valued Danny more than Phantom would obviously be angry that he did that to the boy.

It didn't make it any less illogical for Sam and Tucker to ignore his calls without even spending the night in his room, knowing that there were assassins after him. There were more important things than being angry.

The boy had showered after he was able to stop himself from crying any longer, and Phantom could smell the milk and honey shampoo and the lavender body wash from outside. Though the comforting and familiar scent did little to settle his nerves. The merman was still on edge and the foot that constantly tapped on the concrete was evidence enough that he was slowly going mad with rage.

He sighed and picked up the dried out sandwich that Danny had left for him, figuring there was no point in being nervous _and_ hungry.

When he took a bite, there was a crunch, and Phantom looked down as he chewed. It was a little odd to put rose peddles in a sandwich, but he supposed it wasn't unheard of. The flavor was sweet and bitter and complemented the tuna well. Swallowing, he took another bite, suddenly ravenous as the food dropped to his stomach. He hadn't eaten since lunchtime and with all the stress he hadn't realized how hungry he was until right then.

His vision blurred as he finished half the sandwich, and he stopped. Shaking his head to shove off the dizziness, he paused to contemplate what happened, but that's when he noticed the arm holding up the sandwich was shaking. He stared down at it with narrowed eyes when he was unable to hold it up for much longer and his legs buckled from underneath him. He fell to the ground, but that's when horrible acute pain had him clutching onto his stomach as he rolled into a fetal position. He could hardly keep his eyes open, but the pain was so intense that he almost couldn't hold back a scream. his vision was blurring up more and more but soon he was unable to hold the grip on his stomach as his muscles got weaker and weaker.

Everything happened so quick, in the span of just a few seconds, Phantom had gone from perfectly fine and focused to practically rolling on the ground from mind-numbing pain and he was quickly losing consciousness. It felt like all the blood in his body was on fire, like every muscle was contorting and spasming as he whimpered and held back his screams.

Feet appeared in front of his face, and he looked up to see a smirking Samantha with her hands on her hips. Phantom glared as best he could through the pain.

"Blood blossom is painful, isn't it? It's one of the only things other than temperature that can kill us." She smirked down at Phantom as he whimpered and squirmed, the pain so intense that could hardly breathe, "fortunately for you, there is a 30% your body will be able to get through the pain without dying." She crouched and lifted Phantom's sweaty face in her hand, "Unfortunately for your little human though, I'll be done with him before you can even try to recover."

Phantom hissed and forced his face out of the siren's hands, but that didn't get rid of the girl's smirk as he watched her stand up.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Samantha staring up at Danny's window.

"You lose tonight, Phantom."


	31. Poison

**_Fun Fact: Were you wondering why Danny would get such a headache when he heard Ember's singing voice? Its because Ember's singing voice was fake. If you remember, it was gifted to her by Hades, which means it was unnatural, and anyone who was not attracted to women in any way shape or form, AKA malexmale inside and out, would get a headache._ **

_**That's right, that means that Mr. Lancer is also gay.** _

_**Dun dun duuuuuuuun!** _

...

Danny brushed his wet hair back as he sat on the bed in his pj's, sighing as he took in the empty room. It was 11 at night and he should really be getting to sleep soon. The lavender tea he made himself had been cold for a long time now, and there was no way that cold tea was going to make him feel any better, so he took off his socks and got into bed.

The mattress was much bigger than he remembered and much colder, but the smell of Phantom's pillow made Danny want to start crying all over again, so he pushed it off the bed and turned to face the other direction. The sharpness in his chest was like poison that invaded every inch of his body, leaving him numb and unable to breathe without feeling pain.

Out of his control, another tear fell down his face, and he shut his eyes, hoping that he would fall asleep quickly.

Something creaked on the other side of his room, and Danny's eyes shot open as he reached for the lamp to turn it on. 

His eyes focused when the light turned on, and the boy looked around in every direction. "Phantom, if that's you, cut it out. I don't want to see you."

There was no answer, but Danny was sure that he heard something. He shook his head though, he was probably just stressed from being alone in his room at night for the first time in half a year. He got up and put on his slippers, no sense in wasting a perfectly good cup of tea, right?

He picked up his cold mug and went downstairs to heat it up before he made his way back up the stairs. He decided to listen to some instrumental music to calm his nerves as he drank his cup, maybe then he would be able to get some sleep.

Olafur Arnalds- Brotsjor started playing softly in the background from his radio, and he made sure the calming tune was on repeat as he sat on his bed with his mug to listen.

Danny took a few sips of his tea until the mug was half empty, letting the warmth from the liquid soothe his throat and calm the anxiety that had made its appearance. It wasn't until he stopped drinking and actually allowed the after taste from the tea register on his tongue did he look down at the cup in confusion. He smacked his tongue, wondering why the tea was much sweeter than normal, he was positive he hadn't put that much sugar in it when he made the cup.

He shrugged, it didn't taste bad, so he finished off the tea and set the mug on his nightstand.

He snuggled back into bed, listening to the music as it sang softly in the air, the melody of the chorus of strings was a nice distraction from the headache quickly forming behind his eyes.

His stomach started rolling, and Danny opened his eyes yet again, hoping that he wasn't so upset that he would actually vomit. That wish was quickly denied when his mouth started watering and stomach pain rapidly escalated from a dull ache to Danny leaning over the side of the bed with his face in his trash can.

He vomited violently, the pain in his head intensifying as he nearly choked on what was coming up out of his throat. He was glad that he kept a trashcan by his bed because there was already a lot of vomit and not only was he not done, but he was positive that he wouldn't have made it to the restroom.

It took two minutes before Danny was sure that he wouldn't vomit anymore, and he grabbed at his head to try to keep it from feeling like it was about to explode. What the heck had he eaten to made his stomach react so badly? Maybe he left the tea sitting there cold for too long.

Danny got up from bed for the second time that night and wobbled his way to the bathroom, but he barely made it to the sink before his legs started to buckle from beneath him. He panted for breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he tried to focus his eyes on his reflection. His vision was blurry, but even with the lack of sight, Danny could see that his eyes were red where they should have been white.

This was bad. Danny concluded, he had to have been reacting from something. This had to be some kind of allergic reaction.

He splashed some cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the headache, knowing that he probably had a fever now. He knew he needed to get to his father, but there was no way that he was going to be able to make it to his dad's room without collapsing in the hallway. 

"Dad!" He tried to yell, but his voice was so raspy and dry that nothing but a broken and cracking voice left his throat. It was difficult to breathe already, and Danny knew he needed to make it back to his cell phone. 

Danny let go of the sink, but without the support from the counter, the raven fell to his knees. He had to crawl, and he forced his limbs to work as fast as they could, getting him about halfway back to his bed before something completely horrifying happened.

His breathing became erratic, he could hear his heart pumping in his ears at a rapid pace, more rapid than what was normal or healthy. White started covering his sight, bright white spots as his arms and legs went numb and he was forced to release his weight onto the ground where he rolled onto his back and breathed heavily as he stared up at his ceiling.

Adrenaline, endorphins, and powerful hormones rushed through his body, making his brain respond to try to protect his body from going into shock. The only way he knew how to describe the feeling was, well, he had to be _high_. This has got to be what it feels like to be on drugs. Somehow, someone, someway, Danny had been drugged, and he knew it as soon as he started seeing strange colors float across his vision.

"Don't worry," A female voice spoke, and Danny fought to place it, "I put a rare form of opium in you're tea." Danny was unable to move his arms or legs anymore. "I would have poisoned you, but I don't want anything tainting your flavor, so instead I just put a harmless drug in your tea to make sure you are unable to move or fight when I eat you."

Samantha appeared in his line of sight as she kneeled next to him and pet his face with her small pale hand.

"Wh-." Danny had to really concentrate on his speech to get his words to actually be verbal, "Why? Who a-are you?" He sounded like someone with brain damage, but he was proud that he was at least semi-understandable.

She continued to pet his cheek as she smiled down at him with black lips and green eyes. Suddenly Danny _knew_.

"Yes, I am a siren. Just like Phantom, only much less kind than he seems to be." She leaned down and started smelling Danny, taking in the sound of the blood rushing through his veins, the heartbeat that pounded against his chest, and the smell of lavender and fear that radiated from his pores. "you don't need to speak, I can hear all your thoughts."

Why was she here? What was the point of coming onto land just to go after him? Or was this a trend now; sirens were becoming able to invade land to find food instead of only being able to feed in the ocean. Why him? He had escaped the cove long ago, why now, why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Samantha smiled and licked up his neck, "Phantom is being punished for not killing you, but Hades doesn't want him to have a chance at an enjoyable life, so he has been sending us siren's to kill you. Phantom has already prevented your death twice now."

Danny's eyes widened, remembering when he almost committed suicide. Phantom had saved his life, and Danny had no idea why he would even let himself stoop so low. He remembered Spectra, and how she had spoken to him, and how he had been so manipulated so easily. Spectra was a siren and she made him attempt suicide, it had never been in his control.

Why wouldn't Phantom tell him though? What did he have to gain from keeping this from him?

That time when Phantom made him spend the night at Sam's. He had said he knew Ember but they were not on good terms. His father had invited Ember over that day. Was Ember a siren too? Did Phantom order him away because he was afraid Ember would try to kill him? Suddenly the vest that the merman made him wear all night made sense, Phantom didn't want Ember to be able to smell him.

Where was Phantom now? 

"He's currently either dying or too sick to save you. So I wouldn't count on him for a third time. you're all mine." She smirked and started leaning closer, and Danny knew that this was it. This siren was about to tear him apart, she was about to do what Phantom had tried to protect him from all along, he was going to die here and now if he did not save himself.

He tried to move, but the drug was still coursing through his system and he was still paralyzed, unable to fight back as he watched sharp fangs replace perfectly normal teeth right in front of his eyes. Danny knew that even though his eyes couldn't get any wider, he did his best to focus his vision and look for a way to save himself. If only Phantom had warned him about this before, then maybe he would have one of his dad's weapons on him. He didn't have anything though, and those extra long teeth were about to find a home in his neck any second.

"Careful," a voice behind her said just as a cold hand was put on her shoulder, immediately Samantha shivered, "Cold is bad for the plants."

Phantom's eyes turned bright blue as he pulled Samantha away from Danny, holding her body with one arm and putting a hand over her mouth to muffle her screaming. Immediately Samantha started growing weak from the chill that Phantom produced, her skin going dry and chapped as she struggled against him.

Her effort was futile though, with her being nowhere near as strong as the male siren who was twice her size in muscle mass, and a few seconds later, she shut her eyes and stopped breathing.

Phantom dropped her, his eyes still glowing a bright blue as he stared down at the dead siren, wanting nothing more than to watch as she whithers away into nothing but dust.

Danny was panting on the ground, his fingers twitching as he started to slowly get control back in his muscles. He stared up at Phantom, watching as his eyes went from a bright glowing blue to the normal neon green that Danny was so familiar with. He was able to turn his head just enough to watch as the body next to him turned to dust and collapsed in a pile on the ground. His blue eyes widened, unsure if he was more shocked at her death or glad that she was gone.

Phantom got on his hands and knees and took in Danny's bloodshot eyes and his trembling body. The merman leaned forward and buried his face in Danny's neck and breathed, smelling that there was something in his blood, but it was currently flushing from his system. 

Danny felt the closeness from Phantom, and a load of relief crashed right into the raven. He had no idea just how safe Phantom made him feel until the merman was that close to him. 

The sight of Samantha in a lip lock with Phantom flashed across his head and he shut his eyes, unable to look at the merman anymore.

Phantom sighed and lifted Danny up off the ground bridal style and put him in his bed. He took care of the bag of vomit in the trash by the side of the bed and brought Danny a glass of water from the kitchen. 

By the time he came back with a glass of water and a granola bar, Danny was sitting up on the bed wiggling his hands and toes experimentally, seeming to have much more control. The opium must be wearing off.

He handed the raven the water and snack, but Danny ignored him an stood, pausing by the bed to make sure he had his balance before he walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Phantom stayed where he sat on Danny's bed, knowing that the boy probably wanted him to leave, but unwilling to walk away without talking to the raven.

When Danny walked out of the bathroom and noticed that Phantom was still sitting on the bed with the granola bar and water in his hands, Danny dropped his gaze and walked over to his cell phone.

"You can stay in the guest room until you find another place to stay." Those words had Phantom's heart dropping from his chest, he had no idea that just a few words could impact and hurt him so much. "you have plenty of money, a license, and you should have your car by now. You're smart too, so I know you are very capable of taking care of yourself. You don't need me anymore, and it's over between us."

Danny started packing his backpack, and Phantom knew that he was planning on heading over to Sam's house, unable to stay in his own house anymore for the night.

Phantom's whole world was suddenly crashing around him, Danny said they were finished, but Phantom knew that he was not. There was no way that Phantom would be leaving Danny any time soon. He never wanted to be apart from his human, and he wasn't ready to stop fighting for forgiveness.

Just as Danny was zipping up the backpack and heading towards his door, five words are what stopped him in his tracks.

"But, Danny, I love you."

Danny froze, nearly dropping his bag at the sound of the same words he had been waiting to hear from Phantom for so long. It felt incredible for a brief moment before the good feeling was tarnished by the memory of Samantha's arms around him.

He fought tears that he had been fighting to keep in his eyes ever since Phantom made it into his line of sight after Samantha almost killed him, but a couple fell without his permission anyway. Danny slowly turned around and dropped his bag, regarding Phantom with an intense and unbelieving glare.

"Why should I believe you when you say that now? You've never believed in love before, how do I know you aren't just trying to manipulate me by saying the one thing I have been wanting to hear you say since you had me in captivity?" There was so much passion in those blue eyes, but Phantom regretted that they were filled with pain and anger instead of the adoration and trust that they usually had. "You want me to forgive you? Tell me why you deserve it."

Phantom stood, wanting nothing more than to cross the distance between him and Danny, but knowing that wasn't a good idea. Danny was more angry at him than he remembered, and Phantom was walking on thin ice, one wrong move and he would fall through and drown.

"In all the 3-thousand- _something_ -years that I've lived, I've never felt so unworthy, Precious," Phantom said sincerely, staring at Danny's angered eyes with his own sad green ones, "I gave up my tail to keep you safe. I gave up my honor in Hades's eyes, and I have no intention of ever getting it back. As long as you are alive, I am proud of this life. You are the only other living creature that I have ever fought to protect. Even if you hate me now, I'll keep saving your life, because Hades is not going to stop sending assassins until you're dead and I don't ever want to know how painful it will be if he takes your soul." 

The sweet words touched Danny's ears and felt like candy to the pain that simmered down, but he held his ground. He could not allow himself to forgive Phantom so easily, no, he had more self-respect in himself than that. Danny wasn't ready to forgive yet, he needed to be sure so that he could trust Phantom. He _needed_ to trust Phantom. Without trust, there was no relationship.

"Tell me what love means to you, Phantom. I want to hear it."

They were currently at least ten feet apart, and more and more Phantom was hating the amount of distance between them when all he wanted was to touch Danny. To brush that little bit of hair out of his eyes, to wipe away the tear that fell, to kiss away the pain...

"Love is limitless. Capable of lasting through time, distance, heartache, and disappointment. Love is deep, and beautiful even without visual appearance. I wish I had a word to describe what love feels like Danny, I know so many languages, some that you never even heard of, yet the only way I understand how to say what love feels like is how I feel with you. How it feels to look at you, you're so beautiful.-" Phantom took a step forward when he was sure that Danny wouldn't notice.

He didn't.

"-How it feels to run my thumb against your cheek and feel how soft your skin is. How it feels to lay my head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat, to never get tired of that sound, that beautiful rhythmic patter is the last thing I listen for when I go to sleep." he took another step, getting closer and closer to Danny every chance he got. "I will never get over how it feels to sleep with you every night, with your arm around my stomach and your face in my neck. How good your closeness feels despite the discomfort around anyone else.

"It's just you, Danny, you're the only one I can imagine ending or starting the day with. You're the only one I'll ever allow to see me hurt, or see me vulnerable because I trust you. I trust you even though I have never given you any reason to trust me."

Danny finally noticed the distance between them getting shorter, but the fluttering in his chest and the tears that were quickly changing from the evidence of anguish to that of amazement gave Phantom the bravery to continue to shorten the distance.

"When you stare at me just like that," Phantom said referring to the deep look of warmth and doting in Danny's sparkling blue eyes, "Like I am the most precious thing in the world to you. Like I am the single most important detail in all your life, and in all your struggle, it makes me feel more powerful than I ever had as a merman. You look at me like all you want to do is give me the world, but you've already done that Danny. You may not realize it Danny, but you have been everything to me for a long time now, I didn't realize it until just recently, and I'm so sorry for that, but now I want to spend every minute of my time proving to you just what you mean to me."

They were now just a couple of feet apart, and the temptation to lift up his hand and caress the side of the raven's face was getting increasingly hard to ignore.

"You've given me everything. You showed me what it's like to be human, to laugh to the point of nausea, to hurt to the point of tears. To get angry. Oh, so angry." That was it, he couldn't stop himself anymore. He lifted both hands up and cupped either side of Danny's face, stepping closer and staring deeply into his precious human's eyes. "I know what it's like to love, and I never would have known if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't shown me how beautiful the human race actually was, and how stupid and wrong I was to ever once believe that you were anything less than perfection, I wouldn't be who I am today."

A huge fat tear dropped from Danny's eye and Phantom swiped it away with his thumb, smelling that the pain was leaving Danny as forgiveness and trust slowly made it's way back.

"I wouldn't take it back, Precious." Phantom promised, "I'd never take anything back. Call me selfish if you want, but forgive me when I say if I had to go back in time I would kidnap you all over again because I don't think I could last a day without you in my life."

Danny made a noise that sounded somewhere between a chuckle and a sob as he shut his eyes and leaned into Phantom's touch. Finally, the raven crossed the last two feet over to the merman to circle his arms around his neck, and Phantom sighed in relief. 

He had needed that hug since the moment he knew that Samantha was up to something, the worry and the fear that he had felt to know that another siren was after the human had bothered him to the point of constant anxiety. Everything that followed the siren's appearance had done nothing to help Phantom either.

"I wouldn't last a day, Precious," Phantom said, his voice breaking as he fought his own tears back.

Danny hugged him tighter and nodded, glad the merman was wearing clothes that would not soak his tears. The raven started walking, taking slow steps forward as Phantom was lead backward towards the bed where they both climbed in.

Phantom took off his clothes, leaving nothing on but his black boxers, and cuddled into Danny's warm body, laying his head on his chest and holding him tightly. He had been terrified that he wouldn't be able to do this again, either because Samantha succeeded in the mission, or because Danny wanted him to leave. To be doing it now after killing the assassin and making up with Danny, it felt indescribable. The relief he felt could only be shown in how tightly he held Danny, and how nice it felt to feel a small hand brush through his white hair with short nails.

"I love you, too, Phantom." The merman heard Danny whisper just before lips pressed to the top of his head.

_Buh-dump. Buh-dump. Buh-dump._

Phantom smiled.


	32. Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, full smut scene in this chapter. I had way too much fun.
> 
> I don't know what happened. One minute, it was going to be short but then the next, I just... kept going.
> 
> Oh well, read at your own risk, not a chapter to read around people you know, or at work.

 

Jack Fenton's lawyer sorted out papers to the left of him as the father twiddled his thumbs and waited for the FBI agents to meet him. He was in a gray room with no decorations, sitting at a plastic table in a metal chair. He had been told that he would be required to come in for questioning the day before, and as soon as he knew about it he had called his lawyer.

Ms. Harry Peter wore a gray suit with a red tie, but her appearance wasn't as sharp as Mr. Fenton's slightly miffed attitude, and Jack knew that as soon as the FBI agents walked in his slight anger would from yellow to black _really_ fast. He couldn't tell if the bubbling anxiety in his tummy was from nerves or rage, but he knew that he would find out soon, whether he was ready or not.

"Remember," Ms. Peter said, "I'll do the talking. You may not have an alibi but with the nature of Mr. Masters's death, I doubt you'll be prosecuted for murder. He died via animal attack, and there was no evidence that you were ever there. All they're doing is investigating motive since the body was obviously moved by someone, which is considered foul play, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't accidental. They have nothing on you or your son but speculation."

Jack nodded, but for some reason, none of this comforted him. He didn't know what would comfort him at this point. Perhaps if they found the animal and some way that explains why the body was moved and where it was moved from, then maybe Jack could sleep soundly at night. Until then though, Mr. Fenton's nerves would be in the boiling.

When the door to the interrogation room opened up, Jack sat straight, looking agent Dunck in the eye and hoping that the man could smell his sour attitude in the air.

Dunck was followed in by Imagay, and the older man cleared his throat, "Morning Mr. Fenton, this should not take long. Once I am done questioning you, I will have Daniel Fenton in for questioning."

Jack nodded, pretending that this encounter wasn't at all frustrating or inconvenient.

"Okay, first let's talk about where you were on the day that Mr. Masters disappeared." Dunck sat down in the rolling chair across from Jack and his lawyer and crossed his fingers. He appeared to be tired as if he was getting bored with his job and was waiting for his lunch break.

Maybe they were just trying to get a rise from Mr. Fenton.

"My client was at home," Harry said, "waiting for his son to come home from his day with his friends."

Dunck nodded, "Did you have any idea that Mr. Masters had the hots for your son?"

The sound of the question and what it implied left a bitter feeling in Jack's brain. As if the ghost of what Jack would have felt if he had known before Vlad died was trying to rear his ugly head. Vlad was lucky that he was already dead; because Jack would have massacred him 10 feet into the ground before he could even _look_ at Danny again.

"Mr. Fenton was unaware, and he feels terrible about not seeing it sooner, but he insists that Daniel's behavior is not of one who has been sexually assaulted." Ms. Peter spoke clearly and confidently, ready with an answer before the FBI agent was even finished asking the question.

"Oh yeah? Wasn't young Daniel rushed to the hospital after a suicide attempt? Doesn't seem to be the behavior of someone who hasn't been mistreated." Dunck nudged the fire of insecure and poorly checked rage rushing around in Mr. Fenton's throat, and the man narrowed his eyes. How dare he bring up his son's _once_ in a lifetime moment of pure insanity? One suicide attempt didn't mean that Danny had been sexually assaulted in any way.

Jack wasn't about to admit to the agents that Jack had thought the same exact thing, but surely if Daniel had actually been molested or raped he would have come to his father about it by now... right? 

"I hardly think that one suicide attempt from a hormonal teenager- who is actively struggling with sexual identity and over ten years of hard bullying- can only be explained by an assault from an overly obsessive admirer." Good job Harry, say exactly what Jack is thinking only calmer and coherent. If Jack had to open his mouth, there was no way that he would be able to keep his speech anywhere near professional.

"Fair enough," Dunck said. "Though I'm sure that you know by this point that Mr. Masters was definitely planning on hurting your son. When, where, how, and whether or not he attempted it before he died, is the question that remains unanswered. That is what I plan on questioning your son about when you bring him in, however, I want to talk to you about the cameras that were found. Did you know that Vlad was watching your entire house, every day since your son was 12?"

"Jack Fenton was unaware about the cameras, however, they have been removed and you still have all of the footage recovered."

"Correct. Though I bet if you found out about them you would have been mad, right? Even madder than when you found him in bed with your wife?" His sharp eyes stared Mr. Fenton down, gouging his every reaction. He had been doing this for a while, and he could read people very well.

Yes. The answer to that question was, yes.  He would have murdered Vlad with his cold dead fingernails if he had found out while the pathetic man was alive. Masters wouldn't have lasted the day let alone the _moment_ that Jack found out. His only regret was that he couldn't kill Vlad himself.

He didn't say that though.

"You know, our forensics team found that Vlad had a high number of elevated sex hormones seconds before death. Do you know what that means?"

Jack's heart stopped. Yes, he knew what that meant.

"Vlad was either just about to, or was already having sex before he died. And considering that the high school was the last place Mr. Masters was seen alive, I'll give you three guesses who he was with." The implications had fears that Jack had thought he had gotten over rushing back to the front of his brain. This changed everything, and the suspicions that Dany had temporarily laid to rest were now once again very active. If Vlad was horny and at Danny's high school, and the forensics confirmed that Masters was sexually active seconds before death, that limited the explanations to a scarily narrow point. Suddenly all of Danny's behavior was starting to fall into place with the evidence presented. His distant, twitchy, and secretive behavior was clearly a result from something... and Jack suspected Vlad's murder more than he suspected that water was wet.

"Now just a minute!" Harry said sharply, frustrated with the agent, "That doesn't necessarily mean that Vlad was with Daniel. There are many women at that school! He could have been with any one of them."

"Yes," Said the agent, "This is true. It's just so convenient that all of the footage from the school for that whole week was missing. I just find it weird that he clocked in as a substitute teacher that day, but he never clocked out." 

"I don't find that to be all that strange," Harry said with a lifted eyebrow, "If Mr. Masters was sexually active, then all those hormones could easily lead to forgetfulness. If he had sex on his mind, then he wasn't thinking about clocking out."

Dunck just nodded before pulling out a foder that Jack hadn't noticed he had, "Okay, well, you being a scientist, I'd like you to take a look at these pictures and tell me if anything makes sense to you." He opened the folder, and when Jack laid eyes on the mutilated remains of Vlad, he nearly threw up. "Do you recognize these tooth patterns?"

Jack stifled his vomit long enough to look at the picture again, this time more closely. Behind all the blood, torn flesh, and shattered bone, Jack could see distinct bite marks. They were small, round, and the same size as a human mouth. They were strange indeed, but Jack recognized them immediately, but what baffled him was the fact that Vlad was nowhere near the sea and therefore, these bites shouldn't be possible.

"Yes," he finally said after he triple checked the marks, looking for any indication that he was wrong, but there was none. "I know what those are, but this is physically impossible." He looked up at the agent, "Are you absolutely positive that he was last seen at the high school and was found in a swamp?"

Dunck looked at him confusedly, "Yes, we are very positive. Why?"

"And you're absolutely sure that crocodiles and snakes were the only things living in that swamp? And that this is the animal that killed him?" 

"Yes!" Dunck was the one frustrated now, "There was nothing in that swamp but crocs, snakes, small fish, and other amphibians. Just typical swamp occupants. Why? What is this animal?"

Jack did three more checks before he pulled out his phone, pulling up a picture from his photo gallery of a fossilized rock that was passed down for generations ever since his ancestor, John Fenton-Nightengale, discovered it.

He lifted his phone to show the agent, who gave the picture a puzzled look. 

"What is that?" Dunck asked as he looked down at Vlad's remains and noticed the teeth on the fossil matched with the bites on Vlad's neck.

"It's the jaw of an ageless creature that my family and ancestors have been studying for generations. Until recently there was almost no proof that these demons even existed."

"Get to the chase and tell me what they are, Mr. Fenton," the agent said, "My patience is wearing thin."

Jack's next words left the agent unable to distinguish exactly how he felt. It was true that the animal was not in the record of known species, but the very idea of mythical legends becoming reality at that moment was... perplexing. He was unsure of how to react.

"These are the teeth of a mermaid."

...

Danny stared down at his plate, the 6 slices of beautifully topped and baked pizza giving the raven faith in the world. The first two slices of bacon and sausage didn't stand a chance as Danny scarfed them down, but Phantom was just glad that the boy slowed down after the 3rd slice.

Phantom smirked at the sauce covering Danny's cheeks, wondering how he hadn't noticed how much of a sloppy eater the raven was until now. The white-haired teen started in on his own slices much slower, humming at the food and taking time to really try to decipher the reason Danny loved pizza so much.

He couldn't see it.

They had gone to an all you can eat pizza buffet, and though Phantom quickly found that he didn't care too much for pizza, Danny seemed to be having a great time as barely ten minutes in he was already on his 2nd plate.

Phantom just stared in amusement as he chewed his own 3rd slice as Danny scarfed down bite after bite until finally, after the 9th slice, Danny finally gave up and drank down his Dr. Pepper.

"Do you think you've had enough?" Phantom asked, trying and failing to hide the laughter that started to shake his form.

Danny smiled and wiped his face with a napkin, "Don't laugh at me, jerk, I was hungry."

"Precious, eating 4 slices means you were hungry. Eating 9 slices is downright binge eating." The smirk seemed to be painted on Phantom's face as he watched Danny rub at his now full stomach.

The raven burped, muttering an "excuse me," before he set his empty cup down and rolled his eyes at the merman sitting across from him on the two-person table. "I am a healthy, growing boy. I also know for a fact that 5 years from now my metabolism is going to plummet, and there is no way that I will be able to eat as much as I want without gaining 50 pounds." He picked up his empty cup and stood to go get a refill, "I gotta eat what I want while I still can."

Phantom chuckled and shook his head as Danny walked off, and he sipped at his own Mtn. Dew. 3 slices of pepperoni pizza were enough for him.

They went to Petco after that, much to Phantom's distaste. He didn't particularly like animals, they never had anything nice or intelligent to say. It made Danny's eyes brighten up to see the numerous puppies and small fish, though, so the merman kept his mouth shut and went over to the aquarium while the raven spent his time fawning over slobbering mutts.

The goldfish were fat, and Phantom almost wished he could stick a hand in and grab one, boy did it look like a nice little snack.

He refrained himself, Danny had told him that stealing was wrong. He was still full from the pizza anyway.

Phantom smirked when the fish swam as far away from him as the small tank would allow it, as if it knew that he was not human and had just considered eating it seconds before.

The merman walked away after a minute of watching all the other species of fish currently captive in multiple glass cages, heading over to where he could smell Danny. The boy's scent was covered in the disgusting smell of dog, and Phantom almost winced at how putrid it was. Danny needed a shower as soon as possible.

Danny was giggling, and as Phantom walked closer he could see that it was because a small puppy, no bigger than a can of soda, was running and playing in his lap, tugging on his jeans in a game of tug-of-war, and jumping up to lick at the raven's face. It made small puppy noises that had Danny eating out of the palm of its tiny furry paw, and Phantom was horrified when he thought about the amount of dog hair and filth that was now all over to boy that he cuddled with.

The sound of his laughter was music to Phantom's ears though, and Danny's big smile was almost admirable enough to distract Phantom from all the nasty that was now covering Danny. The boy had always wanted a puppy though, so Phantom knew that they were not leaving Petco any time soon.

Phantom sighed and stared down at the tiny white and light brown bulldog in his boyfriend's lap. He supposed it was a little cute...

He still didn't like it though.

It wasn't till an hour later did Phantom finally get Danny to put the dog down so that they could go. Their movie started in 2 hours and they now needed to get Danny home to shower so he could be clean and less smelly for the hour drive to the drive in. Phantom waited in their shared bedroom for Danny to clean the smell of dog off his person. Already the raven had tried to step out twice -thinking he was done- but Phantom quickly stopped him because the merman could still smell the dog breath on Danny's skin.

Finally, after the third try, Danny was able to step out of the shower to get dressed with a satisfied merman spread on the bed waiting for him patiently.

They stopped at a gas station for both gas and to grab drinks and snacks before Phantom started the hour trip to the drive-in. They agreed to get hotdogs, Slurpees, cherry Twizzlers, and milk duds. They weren't sure if the number of snacks would be enough for a marathon of three, but there was a 20-minute intermission between each movie so they knew they should be fine.

Phantom had gotten a big black van that had three seats in the front and 6 in the back, so when he parked in a spot that had a good view of the screen, they put the armrests up and Danny scooted closer, putting the pillows behind him and Phantom and pulling the thick blanket they had brought over himself. It was almost spring and the temperature outside was considerably warmer than it was in winter, but Danny still needed a blanket for warmth.

Phantom found the temperature comfortable now, but Danny worried about when Summer hit and it became 90-100 degrees outside. Last year it had gotten up to 105 degrees. They would have to be very careful.

Danny quickly forgot about the impending climate danger when the intro to The Grudge started playing on the radio, and Danny looked up at the screen to see words playing to the creepy music. The grudge had come out almost 10 years ago, and the 2 movies that followed it were supposed to be just as good as the first move, but Danny had never seen any of them. Neither had Phantom though, so they decided they would watch it together. The could have just watched it on Vudu, but Danny thought it would be more romantic to go the drive-in when he heard it would be playing.

Watching the grudge proved to be a bad idea, Phantom couldn't stop laughing. There was nothing scary about a stalker that couldn't keep their hair out of their face, and Phantom didn't understand why people didn't just burn the house down. The idiot blonde at the end acted tough and smart for kicking over the gas, but Phantom didn't understand how she thought that would work. He would have bought at least 30 gallons of gas, doused the entire fucking house until every inch of it was soaked, left whatever was left ready to explode inside, and _then_ set it on fire.

That was only if ghosts actually existed and this was a true story, though, which it wasn't.

Danny turned his head in amusement, creeped out by the movie but not scared much, thanks to Phantom making a joke about everything that happened. Then merman didn't seem to be able to control it, spouting dirty chokes and making the movie seem all around ridiculous. Then, after the first intermission when the sequel started, Phantom went nuts at the new main character; she was even more roast worthy than the blonde in the first movie.

The second movie was definitely creepier than the first for Danny, something about schoolgirl outfits, high school, and blonde bitches terrified him more than the actual ghost did. Phantom took full advantage of that fact, making fun and cracking jokes every time the blonde teen said something petty, bitchy, or egotistical. Danny felt like he was going to vomit that's how much he was laughing.

Phantom's smile was beautiful, and Danny was amazed at how differently he acted around the merman. With Sam or Tucker, Danny would have been sitting in a silent and humorless car, scared out of his mind at the movie, but with Phantom, he laughed at the horror.

It was nice, even though he wasn't getting the horrific experience of one of the scariest marathons in Amity Park.

The third movie was by far the stupidest, and both Phantom and Danny agreed that it was a bad way to finish after two generally well-produced movies, but neither of them wasted the chance to make fun of the badly made plot. Not only do they put a demonic curse in an extremely sick child with the hope that she will carry it for a long lifetime, which was stupid because the little girl was close to death at least twice in that one movie, but the plot twist at the end with the new ghost seemed over the top.

It was 12 at night by the time the marathon ended, but Phantom made sure to get out before traffic could get bad on the way out.

"You want to go to the mountain?" Danny asked when he noticed how pretty the sky was, his eyes reflected the number of stars that there were. "There's a cliff that's about a 100ft drop, but the view of this sky in that spot would be extremely romantic."

Phantom glanced over at Danny as the raven stared up at the beautifully decorated sky, but the idea of going to the cliff seemed more dangerous than romantic. Spectra was the only assassin out of 3 that Phantom hadn't killed yet. What would happen if she made an appearance at a spot like that?

"Sorry, pet, I don't think that going to a place like that with assassins after you is a great idea."

The raven sighed, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Despite the fact that Danny had showered merely hours ago, he still took another short one when they got home, simply because he was cold and the idea of standing under the hot water sounded heavenly. He made sure to wash the important parts again- out of habit, or because he felt dirty, he wasn't too sure. Throwing on a giant T-shirt when he was warm and dry was still more than satisfying though.

Not as satisfying as it was to watch Phantom come out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel though. The full human watched as the muscles in the hybrids arms and back flexed. He licked his lips and recalled how nice it feels to run his hands along that sinewy pale flesh.

Phantom was currently pulling out a pair of boxers to put on, but as soon as the merman pulled away the towel around his waist, Danny knew that covering up again wouldn't do.

"Phantom, don't put those on yet." Danny bit his bottom lip, taking in Phantom's appearance as if he hadn't seen every part of the merman before. He had no idea how one person could be so perfect.

The much older human smirked, his cock starting to rise at the raven's bold attention.

Danny's mouth watered, feeling an odd mix of shyness and determination as he beckoned Phantom to come over. He was way too far away. "Get on the bed, I uh- I wanna try something."

Phantom did as he was told, sauntering over and nearly making Danny shrink with the ravenous look in his smoldering green eyes. He sat on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight, and leaned against the headboard. The position was comfortable, but crossing his legs was not what Danny wanted, apparently, when Phantom felt nervous hands uncross them. The raven pushed them far enough apart so he had room to sit on his knees between his thighs.

The merman held his smirk, unafraid to keep eye contact with Danny as he put both arms behind his white hair covered head.

Danny bit his lip nervously as he placed both of his hands on Phantom's bare thighs, "Uh, we both know I've never done this before, so... I might be really bad." He was suddenly very shy, and he broke eye contact with a bright red blush that covered his entire face. His worst fear was that Phantom would laugh or Danny would be so bad that the merman lost interest. Or worse... Phantom was pretty big in size, what if he choked?

"Well, personally I wouldn't mind watching you choke on it," Phantom said with that teasing smirk.

Danny couldn't help but blush harder at that, to which Phantom chuckled.

"Take your time, Precious. There's no rush," the soft hand in Danny's hair made the boy calm down significantly, reawakening the bravery to do and take what he wanted.

Lust dripped from Danny's pores as he looked down at the merman's hard dick just inches away from his wandering hands, and the raven hummed wantonly. It was long and hard and flushed and beautiful, though every part of Phantom was nothing but perfect. All Danny wanted to do was swallow him whole; looking as delicious as the merman did _had_ to mean he tasted just as good.

When Danny finally found the bravery to wrap a hand around Phantom, the merman let his head fall back as he shut his eyes. The dim light from the lamp on the side of their bed was the only light in the room, but without being too harsh, it was more than enough for Danny to see what he was doing as he slowly leaned down.

The first long lick was shocking, but the second had the merman struggling not to yank the raven's hair down by those dark and soft locks. By the time Danny had put Phantom completely in his mouth and was gently sucking, the elder had already lost all sense of anything but the wet heat as he bit down on his bottom lip.

Danny wasn't terrible by any means. There was, of course, always room from practice, but the feel of the raven's hot mouth sliding on and off left Phantom completely at a loss for words for most of the performance. A few times, Danny choked, but the tight throat constricting around him felt so good that the merman wished he would do it again. His roaming tongue was sinful as it touched and tasted every part of Phantom's dick and the merman was so strung with pleasure that he was entirely willing to forgive the occasional scrape of teeth.

The raven didn't seem to focus too much on pleasing Phantom, mostly doing whatever made himself feel good. But Phantom was almost positive that, that was the reason the teen did so well on the first try. Danny had no idea having a cock in his mouth would be so exciting, but the feel of it gliding against his tongue and lips made him feel overly sensitive and like the slightest touch of Phantom's hands anywhere on his body would be overwhelming.

Phantom ran his fingers through Danny's hair appreciatively, "Good boy, good, _good_ boy." his sultry praising rewarded him with a particularly hard suck to his tip, and he cursed.

That was it, that was all of Phantom's restraint, "On your back, take that shirt off too."

The command had Danny releasing Phantom from his mouth to do as he was told, and his oversized shirt disappeared somewhere on the ground just as his back hit the mattress and the older teen climbed over him.

The raven moaned lowly when Phantom pressed soft lips against his sore ones, as if he was trying to kiss away the slight discomfort. It was so sweet and made Danny feel so hot, that he barely noticed when the merman reached over to the bedside drawer for the little bottle of lube.

Phantom trailed hot hungry kisses across his jaw and down his neck and he popped the bottle and poured some of the liquid on his fingers. He spread Danny's long legs apart as far as they would go, licking and nipping at the soft flesh of his thighs until dark red spots appeared on the twitching limbs.

Panting and trying to keep his breathing under control, Danny's eyes rolled back when the merman started returning the favor, fingering him slow and deep as he did so.

The stimulation to such sensitive nerves forced moan after drawn-out moan to slip from the younger boy's throat, but Danny knew that Phantom was purposely avoiding his prostate. The bastard.

"Dammit, Phantom," Danny forced out a shaky breath, mouth dropping open as the build-up of heat tore him apart, " _Ah_. You're going too slow." It was driving him out of his mind, knowing that Phantom knew what he wanted but refused to give him.

The merman released him with a pop of his lips and smirked up at the desperate blue eyes that glared down at him, he chuckled at the frustration there, "Someones impatient today."

Danny's head fell back on the pillow with a tortured groan, but that's when Phantom pulled out his fingers and climbed up his body until their faces aligned with each other. Seconds after Phantom split the younger's legs further apart, he was pushing his way inside, watching every emotion fly across Danny's face as it contorted with pain and pleasure.

As soon as Phantom started to push inside him, Danny knew that he would not be able to hold out for very long. Being stretched so _wide_ , and feeling the moment that the hybrid slid in completely was still one of the most incredible sensations ever experienced. No matter how many times they did this, it still felt just as liberating and passionate as the first time. The touch of flesh on flesh had Danny's heart beating harder, making him feel warmer. Loved. 

_Free_.

Hot breath fanned against Danny's ear as the boy whimpered low and pleadingly, wrapping trembling hands around the merman's broad shoulders as his body rocked with the power of Phantom's thrusts. The bedpost knocked against the wall behind it in time with the rhythm of their movement, but the sound wasn't louder than Danny when his body was overrun with sharp tingles as Phantom started attacking his prostate with every push of his hips. The muscles that flexed and moved against Danny intensified the heat burning in his lower half, and the raven was unable to resist the temptation to suck a deep purple mark on the merman's smooth shoulder.

The older teen knew when Danny's hot cavern started to twitch that the boy was close, and Phantom lifted the raven's pale legs up over his shoulders to push in deeper as he kissed his sweaty neck. The new position not only pushed Phantom in deeper but had Danny clenching tighter, and as his moans grew higher in pitch with every thrust that brought the younger closer and closer, Phantom almost couldn't remember who was the siren in this bed. Phantom didn't think he could ever get enough of Danny, nor would he ever get tired of how pretty the boy's face got when pure, overwhelming, white-hot _ecstasy_ flooded behind his crystal blue eyes and shaded his cheeks that beautiful shade of red as he came.

Phantom groaned as he quickly followed, practically forced into a rut by Danny's scent, his heat, the clenching, and the dirty sounds that left his kiss-swollen lips.

Panting and gasping for breath, Danny gazed up at him with glassy eyes as he basked in the afterglow until Phantom finally lost all energy and lowered himself to rest beside him. The merman breathed and turned his face to see the bliss in his boyfriend's eyes, sparkling like sunlight on rare diamonds.

"You're beautiful."

When Danny heard those two words whispered tenderly in his ear, he wasted no time in turning on his side to kiss Phantom with all the passion and doting that he felt for him.

The merman sighed at the smell and feel of it and shut his eyes tiredly, brushing a thumb under a closed blue eye. Those black lashes were way too long and soft for their own good.

The scent of Danny's love and affection was a calming one, and Phantom thought about how lucky he had gotten. If Danny had been any less kind or had kept hostile emotion towards him for what he did to the boy for the entirety of those months keeping him captive, Phantom knew that he would not be there. He would not be lying in a pair of soft adoring arms, he would not have a full stomach, he wouldn't know what it was like to truly feel human, and worst of all, he would have none of that _plus_ he would probably be in a test tube or dead by then.

Instead, though, Danny took control and showed him what kindness was, and what life could be like if he only learned what humanity valued deep in the heart of those who knew compassion. It was crazy, actually, and shouldn't even have been possible considering Phantom's race, but Danny somehow accomplished it with flying colors. He managed to take one of the evilest, most sadistic, most dangerous and ill-tempered creatures that ever roamed the planet, and turned him into a human that wanted nothing more than to live long and happy by his side.

Someone get this boy a trophy.

"What are you thinking about?" Danny asked as he traced patterns on the back of Phantom's shoulder.

The merman smirked, his voice strained with how tired he was, "How sticky you are."

Danny choked on a laugh, and his body shook with the vibration, "Yeah, I should rinse off." He was already starting to get up. Immediately, though, the merman was missing the heat that contrasted with his naturally cooled flesh.

Phantom was already asleep when the teen returned to bed and snuggled back in their previous cuddled position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG... what a month. I dug a hole for my 20-year-old dog, fractured my finger, had my purse stolen, and I started work and school. Luckily, my purse is back unharmed, my finger is better and back in commission, and I'm ready to move on from my doggy's death. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I love this ship so much. There are only 10 more chapters left though. 11 maybe if one of them gets to be too long, I doubt it though. 
> 
> Don't forget to vote, it's been a crazy couple of weeks for me and I'd love some support.
> 
> Danny: You know what else is crazy? The fact that the shit storm hasn't even hit the really bad part, yet.
> 
> Phantom: Were you supposed to tell the audience that?
> 
> Danny: Maybe not, but who cares? It will just add to the suspense and keep them on the edge. It's obvious the author likes to watch them suffer.
> 
> Phantom: How sick is it that shit still hasn't finished hitting the fan?
> 
> Danny: Very sick, the author really needs to cut the bull crap.
> 
> Chickzilla18: Hey! I love the way this story is going!
> 
> Phantom: Pfft. Yeah but the audience is going to hate you.
> 
> Danny: A lot.
> 
> Chickzilla18: *Shrugs* I have a corner I can huddle in.
> 
> Phantom: Huddle? You're practically going to be making love to that corner.
> 
> Chickzilla18: Shut up.


	33. Splash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact!
> 
> When Phantom said that Hades would kill him if he returned to the ocean, he had no idea that Hades meant that Phantom would not change into a merman in sea water.
> 
> Phantom doesn't know how to swim as a human, and so he would simply be swept up by a current that Hades makes just for him, and he will drown.

 

"You know," Danny said as he turned the corner to the street that would take them to the lake, "it's a little lame that you can read my thoughts. I can never surprise you. This would have been so romantic if you didn't know where we were going."

Phantom chuckled in the passenger seat, the moonlight dancing in his excited green eyes, "So sorry my powers bother you."

Danny had noticed that Phantom appeared to be sad and uncomfortable during bathtime, and the raven knew that Phantom missed being able to swim and stretch his fins out as he used to in the ocean, so he planned a trip to the lake. It was separated from the ocean so Hades wouldn't hurt him, and usually nobody ever went there at night. It was safe, and as long as they checked to make sure that no one was around, Phantom would be able to swim there and enjoy himself without an issue. After all the stress that poor Phantom had gone through trying to keep him safe, taking the merman to stretch his fins seemed to be the least that Danny could do.

"We're almost there, you sensing anyone?" Danny asked as he turned the car onto the rocky path leading to the lakes parking lot.

"No, I think we're alone." He could see the moonlight reflecting off of the water, and the sight of it brought a longing that Phantom didn't know was so powerful until right then. The water looked so beautiful, so _inviting_ , and the merman was itching to get in.

When Danny finally parked the car, Phantom waisted no time in unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Danny giggled at his boyfriend's giddiness as he followed and watched the hybrid strip off his pants and shirt. Before Danny could even get their lunch boxes out of the car, Phantom was already running into the water, bare as the day he showed up on Danny's doorstep. A loud splash was heard and Danny grinned to himself and shut the car door, glad that he did something good for Phantom.

Lunch boxes full of cooked salmon and potatoes in hand, Danny walked over to the edge of the fishing dock. There was nothing in the lake other than Phantom, some fish, and a few turtles, so they didn't need to worry about any unwanted surprises in the water.

The raven looked out on the lake as he sat down, placing their dinner next to him so his hands were free to take off his socks and shoes, and a moment later his feet were dipping into the coolness of the water. It felt nice between his toes, the cool liquid kissing his flesh and massaging away the stress as he opened up his own dinner and started eating.

He could see Phantom's bioluminescent figure swimming around a few yards away, and Danny sighed at the majestic beauty. Phantom was the most incredible creature that he had ever laid eyes on, and he legitimately missed watching him swim around freely like this, even though it used to scare him. Such beauty could not be expressed in words, but the smooth movements that the merman made were so striking in their dramatic grace, it damn near broke Danny's heart.

Phantom's head peaked up from the surface of the water, and blue eyes met glowing neon green ones as the merman swam closer. His lips were curled in a devilishly handsome smirk that Danny knew was hiding the sharpest set of razor teeth, and the knowledge that they were there caused the raven to shiver.

The raven couldn't tell if it was a pleasant shiver or not, and the lack of distinction scared him a little. He should probably see a therapist about these borderline horrifying masochistic kinks of his...

"I'm sorry you can't stretch your fins as often as you'd like," Danny said to the merman who slid against his submerged feet much like an affectionate cat.

"It is what it is," Phantom responded as he swam around some more. The water felt wonderful, and the lake was deep enough that he could stretch without cutting his tail on the rocks at the bottom.

"You can come whenever you want though, all you have to do is ask and I'll bring you." The promise had Phantom rubbing his scaled cheek against the boy's ankle, and Danny pet his silky white hair.

A couple of minutes later, Phantom was swimming around enjoying himself while Danny finished his dinner, and things were calm and peaceful. It was nice to have a break from all the drama that had been stressing the two out for months now. It didn't help that Danny had been questioned by both his father and his father's lawyer the other day.

His father had asked Phantom to go out and pick them up some lunch, but the merman knew that Jack just wanted to question his son about Vlad alone with Ms. Peter. After that though, Danny was sat down at the kitchen table next to his father while the lawyer sat across from them with a note pad and tape recorder.

"Hi, Danny," She had said sweetly, "I just have a couple of questions for you."

Danny had nodded, not sure what to expect. Ms. Harry may have been a lawyer, but she was much more approachable than the FBI agents were, less intimidating. It allowed Danny to be a little more relaxed around her than when the FBI agents were around, whether they were talking about murder or not.

"Did Vlad ever do or say anything inappropriate to you?" Her voice was soft, and though she was much less stressful with her presence alone, she was still one of the most facile people Danny had ever met. She lacked emotional depth, and Danny could see nothing in her empty eyes. They were blank, her façade disguising the lack of compassion with a sweet face. Maybe Danny just didn't like her, but he could see right through the lie.

Danny's unsure and insecure silence was taken as being shy, and Jack put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay son, you can tell the truth, you're not going to get in trouble." It wasn't him getting in trouble that he was worried about.

What was okay for him to say? He wanted to tell the truth, just because his father was around and he wished above most things that he could confide in his Dad... but how much closer to finding what happened to Vlad would they get if he said too much?

He decided it was best to only speak half-truths, better to leave self-incrimination out. The best lies were built off the truth, and if telling the full truth even had a _possibility_ of leading to Phantom's arrest, then a lie it shall be.

"I mean... he made me uncomfortable sometimes. I would catch him looking at me like I was naked and had an apple in my mouth, but I always thought I misread the expression." Danny shrugged sheepishly and did his best to shrink down to the size of a pea, uncomfortable with the conversation.

Ms. Peter nodded with fake sympathy, and Danny's blood boiled. It was like she wasn't even trying to hide how fake she was.

The raven sighed on the inside, she was just doing her job, and she was a lawyer; he couldn't really blame her for being basically being an emotional desert.

"Did he ever make any indecent proposals? Like maybe to disobey your parents and do something he wanted you to do?"

Danny shook his head, Vlad was never that loud about his obsession. It was like he knew that Danny knew about it and didn't find any reason to attempt manipulation, as if knowing trying to distance him from his parents that way would prove to be unsuccessful. "No, he never did anything like that."

"Did he ever attack you? Or make you feel unsafe? Did he touch you inappropriately at any time?"

There it was, the golden question that would either let them know everything they needed to hear or shoot down any chance of them finding out, assuming he was actually able to pull off the lie. If he was obvious, they would know.

Jack looked down at his son, the younger's red ears and his lack of eye contact was so out of place and incriminating it made the father want to barf at the implications. He had been wrong to allow Danny to make him think the only problem he had was his lack of confidence for the acceptance of his sexuality. He had been such an unobservant idiot when it came to his son for so long, but it seemed the trend had not stopped. It was a daunting fact that filled him with self-hatred and melancholy.

When would he be good enough for his son?

"No." Jack searched for it as Danny spoke; any indication that it was the truth. "Vlad never touched me." He looked. Long and hard, but he didn't find even the slightest bit of what he wanted to see.

Danny was lying.

The raven had no idea that his father was basically choking on reality at that moment.

Now though, as Danny watched dreamily as Phantom did dives and splashed around in the water, he could feel the stress from the months leaving him. For now, at least for tonight, they could escape.

When Phantom swam up to him with a mischievous smirk, Danny all but shrank. What was doing?

He got his answer in the form of water being sprayed at his face like a water gun. It shot out from Phantom's lips and hit him directly in the eye. For a brief second, it hurt, but that pain quickly vanished and became amused irritation as he tried to block it. That only served for it to be misdirected to drop all over his pants.

"Phantom!" He yelled with a giggle, "my clothes are all wet now."

"Get in with me," the merman said suddenly, shocking Danny out of his giggling fit.

The raven blushed and looked down, he hadn't been in any large body of water at night in a long time. During the day was fine but at night?

Flashbacks to when Dash almost killed him corrupted the front of his mind, along with the anxiety that came along with PTSD brought on from being kidnapped.

"I don't know, I don't have my swimsuit," he muttered an off-handed excuse, though he wasn't sure what exactly he was scared of. Phantom wouldn't hurt him... _badly_.

"Then I guess you'll have to skinny dip," the smirk calmed a little of the irrational fear, but brought on a whole different kind of blush.

Danny stuttered, "Uh-um. I uh- clothes. Duh-." The blush spread to his entire face, and Phantom nearly laughed. Danny has never been naked in a lake before, and the merman has not forgotten that the raven was pathologically shy by nature.

Phantom chuckled, "get those clothes off and get in here, dumbass." He swam off, poor Danny was too shy to strip with him swimming right there watching. Even though they had been sexually active for months now and his body was nothing new to Phantom.

_Whatever_ , Phantom smirked with a shake of his head, _let him feel like he has some privacy._

A moment later, Phantom could hear Danny beginning to enter the water from 20 feet down, and sensing the fear he felt from being alone, Phantom swam up. He surfaced and found Danny half in and half out, pale as a white sheet of paper, and holding onto the dock with a death grip. The merman sighed and swam over.

"Come on," he said gently, reaching a webbed and clawed hand out for him before retracting his talons in an attempt to look less threatening.

Danny took his hand and Phantom would have chuckled at the tight grip of it weren't for the ever-present fear invading every nerve in the boy's body like an emotional terrorist attack.

"Come on, Precious," the nervousness that wracked Danny's form could be easily extinguished, but Danny needed to trust him. "Let go of the dock."

Danny hesitated, but after deciding he would rather hang on to Phantom, he let go and grabbed around the merman's shoulders.

The siren smirked, not swimming too far from the dock, but just far enough that the raven couldn't chicken out without trouble. "Look at you," he praised Danny, "swimming with a vicious siren. In his own domain no less."

Danny grinned, swimming with dolphins was one thing, and petting stingrays was overrated, but swimming with something as dangerous, as beautiful, and as intelligent as a mermaid was the greatest life experience anyone would die happy achieving. Assuming they didn't die right afterward, which was almost unavoidable when it came to sirens.

But how many people could say they swam with something so phenomenal and _lived_? Danny was sure that the number of people in all of history could be counted on 1 hand. It was truly amazing, and Danny was honored.

It didn't stop him from shaking though, to which Phantom's smirk curled down a little. "You don't ever need to be afraid of me anymore, Danny."

The sound of his name leaving the merman's lips brought heat up to Danny's cheeks, contrasting against the coolness of the merman's body and the chill of the water they floated in.

Phantom wasn't the problem though, Danny was sure of it. He fully trusted that the siren wasn't going to hurt him... _badly_.

"I'm not afraid of you, Phantom." He didn't notice until then that the merman was slowly taking them further and further away from the dock. They were now a good few feet away from it now.

"Then why are you shaking so much?"

Danny didn't say anything, but Phantom heard him in his head anyway. Danny was just afraid of being in the water at night. The memory of being trapped so far down from the surface, deep where the light of day didn't touch haunted him.

Phantom fully frowned into Danny's throat at that. He did that to the raven. He was afraid because of _him_. It was his fault Danny couldn't enjoy night time swims like he used to. If he had just let Danny spend more time in the sun, fed him more, treated him better, and didn't teach him to associate the dark with pain and suffering, then maybe Danny wouldn't be so scared.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, Pet." He would never regret kidnapping Danny, but boy, did he regret making him suffer. Phantom had made Danny suffer so much, that at one point the raven wanted to die so bad that he stopped eating, refused to drink anything, and _begged_ him to end it all.

He had never felt so despicable before in his life.

Danny shook his head roughly, "No, Phantom. I don't regret anything. Not even what I had to go through when you took me. I wouldn't change anything. I don't know what would have happened if things didn't end up just the way things are right now." What they had was too good to regret anything, and Danny didn't. Not a thing. He couldn't bear it if things had gone differently and Phantom didn't end up in his bed every night like he was now. If he had to go back, he would gladly go through all that pain, over and over, if it meant he could keep the merman.

Phantom shook his head and smirked as he kissed the ravens cheek. "Silly boy."

...

Jack put the submarine in park and rechecked his headset for the 6th time. He had to make absolutely certain that the headset was securely in place so that the mermaids would be unable to hypnotize him or read his thoughts. It was nighttime, but that was okay, his son was on a date and wouldn't be back until much later.

The radar on his brand new and upgraded submarine was blinking in the background, keeping track of all the heat signatures close by. A little screen next to the radar told him that there were hundreds of fish, a couple of harmless sharks, and lots of crustaceans around.

Danny has done well with his new job, and the percentage that his son was giving him did well for the mermaid hunting equipment, and the new sub.

He knew that capturing a mermaid would not answer all the head-scratching questions; like how a mermaid ended up in Amity Park, or where it disappeared to after killing Vlad, but it would confirm at least a few things. Like, the fact that it _was_ _,_ in fact, a mermaid that killed Vlad or not. If he could prove this, then murder would be out of the question, and he and his son's name would be cleared off the suspect list. After that, everything would be turned into where the mermaid was now, and how they were going to catch it and kill it.

Perhaps he'll keep it alive for a while, the number of tests he would probably wanna take on it was unimaginable. The fact that a mermaid was on land was incomprehensible in itself, what if there was a molecular reason for it? What if there was a deformation in its DNA? What if they were evolving? All these questions and Jack was excited to work in figuring out the answers.

He had always taught his son and Daughter that greed didn't get anyone everywhere, and they would be ashamed if they found out that he risked his life to capture a siren. But he could only imagine how proud they would be if he succeeded and accomplished his dream in studying merpeople inside and out.

He would have to perform a dissection, he needed to know what their organs looked like, and if they looked anything like a human's. He needed to know how they were able to hypnotize people, how they breathed, why they were so gorgeous, why they needed to eat human flesh.

It was just a bonus that Jack's career in mermaid hunting would be reawakened. To prove that merpeople existed and to study one for the first time in history, he would make a fortune.

Jack waited after turning on the sonar and dropping the invisible net and watched the open water near the familiar cave. He was well equipped and prepared, this submarine was made with titanium and was impossible to break through even if he got swarmed. He was smart this time around, coming with more weapons and better means to capture. There was an 89% chance thing would go smoothly and successfully without incident.

All he had to do was wait.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... The amount of fluff in this is starting to get a little nauseating.... time to up the drama.


	34. Wet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Phantom's saliva can make any human breath under water for up to 30 minutes. It can also manipulate body temperature to make it possible for humans to survive deep underwater, it can also strengthen bones to keep them from crushing under the weight of up to 10 billion gallons of water, and if Phantom chooses it can also soothe wounds. The saliva has to go straight to the brain though, via make out session.
> 
>  
> 
> THIS STORY NOW HAS FANART!
> 
>  
> 
> http://fav.me/dd9k2nh
> 
>  
> 
> THANK YOU JUSTAFAYZ FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK! I love it

Tucker sipped noisily at his empty cup, the sound annoying everyone at the table, though he didn't seem to notice.

Phantom and Sam stared at Tucker in disgust as they saw the amount of grease and ketchup covering his face, they didn't know how he could be okay with that.

The merman and Danny had stayed up late last night. After returning from the lake and cleaning themselves off, they realized that Jack wasn't home, and it was odd considering there was no note. Jack never left for a long time without leaving a note. The weirdness of the situation had them up until 3 am waiting for the man to return. At some point, Phantom had told Danny to calm down and go to sleep, and he did, but only after Phantom said he would stay up as long as he could and wait for the father's return.

Phantom had fallen asleep two hours later.

Danny woke up first, but when he went to check and see if his father returned, he sighed in relief at the sight of the RV parked in the driveway. There was also a note on the fridge saying he came across a great job opportunity and would not be returning until later. Danny had stared at the note for a good few minutes, wondering what kind of job would have kept him out of the house for most of the night, and now, all day.

That was this morning, and now at lunchtime with their friends, Sam and Tucker, on a Saturday afternoon, Phantom and Danny were skeptical about this secret job that Mr. Fenton hadn't told them about yet.

Danny took the final bite of his burger, chewing and swallowing it down a few seconds later and wincing at how full he was. A large fry, a triple meat burger, and a milkshake were apparently very filling. He picked up his cup and sipped at his coke, finding the drink empty.

What wasn't empty was his bladder though. He needed to get to the bathroom, stat.

He got up and started walking, barely noticing that Phantom was following behind him, probably needing to use the bathroom too.

However, before either of them could make it all the way, the scariest, most horrifying thing that could ever happen in a million years, happened.

It was like the whole world froze right there on the spot when Danny heard a series of sounds directly behind him.

It started with someone going "Woah!" And then what sounded like a yelp of surprise followed by shattering glass crashing against the ground.

Something normally so innocent, harmless even, but as Danny shot around and took at Phantom's drenched T-shirt and the apologetic waitress who crashed into him with a tray of drinks, his blue eyes widened into frypans.

Shit.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so, so sorry-" the waitress had no time to even attempt to help, because in the two seconds that it took Phantom to change into a merman, Danny had grabbed him by the shirt, dragged him into the bathroom, and locked the door before anyone could see.

Danny panted hard as Phantom fell to the ground behind him, too shocked and overwhelmed by the escalating turn of event to catch up with himself. That was close. Too close! One millisecond later, and Phantom would have been exposed to the watchful eyes of a packed dining room.

This was a small town, not a lot happened here and word got around way too quickly for comfort. If one person saw Phantom the way he was now, that was the same as telling the whole town, and by extension, the world. Including scientists and the military police who would no doubt confiscate Phantom and make him suffer through horrifyingly painful experiments.

Danny finally turned around, the situation hitting him like a butcher to a pork chop. He needed to dry Phantom off, and quick.

A knock on the door frightened Danny, making him nearly jump out of his skin as he yanked out every possible paper towel and threw them down at Phantom. The merman was furiously wiping at his wet flesh after throwing off his soaked shirt.

"Hello? Are you two okay in there?" She rattled the knob, "Why did you lock the door? I'm really sorry I spilled water on you. I have towels, let me help you."

If the rattling on the locked doorknob or the delicate situation at hand didn't have Danny sweating, then the possibility of someone trying to help by unlocking the door with a possible key did.

"We're fine! Don't worry about it." Phantom called out, his glowing green eyes blown wide with fear. It was not an emotion that Danny was used to seeing on the merman, and the sight of it just made the situation so much more daunting.

Danny's phone was blowing up with calls and texts from Sam and Tucker, but Danny was way too busy trying to help The merman dry off. They had probably seen what happened and were just as nervous as the lovers were.

The waitress leaned her ear against the door, listening in.

"Oh my god, you're so wet."

The waitress's thin black eyebrows shot up against her brown eyes, and her mouth dropped open.

"I know I am, just hurry up and finish."

"I'm trying! There's a lot of pressure!"

The whisper shouting could be heard through the door by the waitress. Who's blush became so deep that she wondered if she would permanently be a tomato for the day.

"SHHHT! They might hear you! They don't need to know what we're doing!"

Stifling a chuckle, the waitress waved her friend over, and the blonde coworker shuffled over quietly and pressed her ear against the door, wondering what had her friend so amused and red.

"Okay, I'm almost done. Just keep doing what you're doing."

They heard some rustling noises and a couple of bangs. Then there was the sound of crinkling paper, and the waitresses knew that they had to be cleaning up some kind of mess with the number of times they heard the paper dispense.

"Ouch! Not so hard you're going to make my skin raw!"

"Oh hush, you big baby, Put your pants back on."

The waitresses covered their mouths and looked at each other, trying and failing to hold their giggles back.

"Is the waitress still there?"

The two girls jumped at the mention of themselves, and they quickly scattered, fleeing the scene to keep from being discovered. They had conversation and laugh material for weeks now.

Phantom shook his head, "they just now left. They were listening, but I'm pretty sure they just think we were fucking. We should be good."

Danny blushed madly. "They?" He only remembered one.

Phantom smirked, "yeah, she called over a friend to eavesdrop. Apparently, two teens fucking in a public bathroom is highly amusing."

Danny nearly had a mental breakdown right then. Most waitresses were teenagers that went to his school.

He could already hear the rumors...

He shook his head, "Whatever, let's just get back with Sam and Tucker, they're probably freaking out right now."

Phantom nodded, and one by one they exited the bathroom.

Danny kept his head down and avoided eye contact with everyone, with Phantom's wet T-shirt in hand. However, the merman wanted to make certain that they definitely had a cover explanation to why they were in the bathroom.

Without looking, but making sure the waitresses were watching, Phantom made a show of zipping up the zipper on the front of his jeans. Yes, we were fucking, no need to think anything different.

The waitresses burst out laughing, and Danny's head shot up to look over at them, but they weren't looking at the two anymore. He didn't really recognize them, perhaps he was wrong in thinking they went to his school

Phantom rolled his eyes with a grin as Danny waved Sam and Tucker over to follow them to the car.

The coolness of winter was gone, Danny noticed as he stepped out of the restaurant with Phantom and his friends following close behind. Phantom had driven them today, and his van was parked on the other side of the restaurant and they would need to go around the building to get to it. Almost as soon as Danny tried to though, Phantom grabbed the back of his shirt and forced him to stop just as someone was turning the corner as well. If Phantom hadn't stopped him, he would have crashed right into the person.

Danny wasn't excited to see that it was Gregore, and not any more excited when the taller teen noticed he was there.

"Oh, Hello Danny," he tried to wave with a smile as he lifted his sunglasses up to expose his green contacts.

"Sorry, Gregore, have no time to talk," Danny lied, "have somewhere to be." He tried to sidestep the copycat, but Greg stepped in his way, and Danny looked up at him irritably.

"So sorry, but I failed to ask for your number the last time that we spoke? Perhaps you could give it to me and we can go bowling sometime?"

Danny liked bowling, but he did not like Gregore... at all.

"Sorry," the merman said as he put a shoulder around Danny's shoulders, "He only bowls with me and his friends."

Sam and Tucker glanced nervously at each other when hey heard the possessive spike in Phantom's tone.

Gregore's eyebrows crinkled in annoyance as he glared at Phantom, but he didn't seem to know when to give up, "I think we should let Danny speak for himself, perhaps he would like to make a new friend."

"I would totally be okay with Precious making new friends, so long as the said friend wasn't actively lying to him." Phantom's eyes narrowed, fighting every instinct in him not to just eat this pathetic human being.

Gregore's mouth dropped open, and Danny nervously took a step closer to Phantom and firmly gripped around his torso. He could practically smell the rage radiating off of the merman, and they didn't need another dead body on their hands.

"What do you mean? What lies do you speak of?" He put a hand over his heart as if the notion actually physically hurt him, "I am an honest person, which is more than I can say about a controlling pop star who can't seem to get his hands off someone so innocent and pure."

"You realize your accent sounds faker than the plastic in a prostitute's overly large breasts, right? I've seen botox more natural than that shit. Cut the crap, I know you're not really Hungarian." Danny didn't want to imagine where he had seen that stuff... Phantom really had seen and killed a lot of people in his abnormally long life.

Gregore blushed wildly in anger and outrage, looking like he was seconds away from punching Phantom out for exposing him to Danny and his friends. His cover was blown, and his facade had been seen through, and for a second, he was too shocked to say anything.

"Ugh," He threw his hands up in frustration, "Fine, I'm not from Hungry," so he was American, without the Hungarian accent, everyone could clearly tell that he was from somewhere like Alabama or southern country states. The southern accent sounded much more natural on the boy's tongue, and Danny had to wonder why he would try to fake a Hungarian one when his country accent was so much better. "That doesn't change the fact that you're toxic for someone so fantastic."

'Can I eat him?' Phantom asked into Danny's head, staring at Gregore like he was a piece of meat in a fancy steak house.

Danny shook his head furiously, more for Phantom but Gregory frowned at this anyway, "Listen Gregore, I'm not interested in you, you need to leave me alone." the raven started walking away again, able to slip passed Gregore this time as he dragged Phantom along with him to make sure the merman didn't try to attack the newly discovered liar.

Sam and Tucker followed behind, looking at each other and communicating with their eyes just how awkward that interaction was.

Gregore watched at the four friends disappeared into Phantom's car. He had never felt so unsatisfied. Danny was playing hard to get very well, but he knew now that he would never get the raven with Dan anywhere close by. He would have to get Danny when he is alone, where the pop star wouldn't be there to control what the pretty boy said.

He would not give up until he had Danny on his arm. Someone so gorgeous needed to be ravished properly.

...

"Johny!" Hades hissed as he appeared out of nowhere by the merman who had been feeding on a fat man he had caught.

Johny was a merman that did not only have his singing to help him hunt, and he was not limited only to prey that was attracted to men. He had his shadow, and whoever his shadow took over, or possessed, the victim would have bad luck that would lead to their immediate and sudden death. Johnny would have thought it was cruel if he knew what the word sorry meant.

The man that was currently dripping down the merman's chin had been overshadowed by Johny's power and had immediately tripped and hit his temple on a rock.

He was now without arms as the merman dug into his intestines.

Johny looked up from his meal, his shoulder-length blonde hair floating around him as his red eyes glowed brightly at Hades in annoyance. He did not like to be interrupted during meal time.

One of his mates swam up from her spot a few meters down, having finished with her portion of her meal, her sister-wife was still feeding somewhere below them. She was still hungry though, so she licked behind Johnny's ear and the merman rewarded her by off the mans lower leg. He handed it to his hungry mate as blood floated around them from the human's open wounds. A few sharks swam around them, curious if the blood was a promise for food, but the merman sent off pheromones to keep them a distance away, his mates staying close to not get picked off by the puny predators.

"I have a job for you," The god said as he stared at the feeding merpeople, "I can grant you any wish that you want in return."

Johny's eyebrow rose in disinterest as his omegan mate tore off another piece of meat from the dead human's leg. The merman said nothing, knowing that words were pointless around the god that created him.

"I need you to go to Amity Park and kill a human for me."

Amity Park? Johny made a mental map in his head, Amity had to be around 100-200 miles away, couldn't Hades just get the mermaids in the cove nearby that place to do it? Wasn't there supposed to be a merman with really special and awesome power? How come he didn't just send him?

"That's the problem, Phantom became all Nanna-Tootsie on me and decided he would rather live on land to be with his true love, and now I want his precious boy-toy dead and in my underworld of miserable souls." Johny could tell that the human really poked at a nerve in Hades. The god talked about him like a dumb high school girl gossiping about a dweeb that gets on her nerves.

Hades rolled his eyes.

A merman who fell in love with a human and was now living on land?

Johny hummed and took another bite out of his meal.

It certainly didn't seem like something that would be possible considering siren nature. They were beastly, despicable, savage, selfish creatures that felt nothing of compassion. Let alone love. Love was not real in their world, Hades had made it impossible to feel human emotion. They were sick, vicious, and loveless animals that feasted on the human population and strived to fulfill Hades's intention; to take souls.

How could a merman, who possessed that much great power, waste his talents, and desire to be human? The very thing that they eat on a weekly basis.

It was... pathetic. To say the least.

Phantom deserved death, but more than that, he deserved to suffer.

He wants to be human?

Wants to feel human emotion?

Then let him know. In a very intimate way, just what agony feels like.

Hades smirked.

...

The heart monitor beeped widely on the screen, and Jack Fenton recorded the white-haired mermaid's heart rate for the 5th time that hour. The young female mermaid had an average heart rate just like a human's.

"Please."

Jack heard her small sweet voice behind him, and without even having to do many tests, he knew that she was not yet fully mature. She looked like the mermaid version of a 12-year-old girl, but even so, Jack swallowed the compassion inside him telling him it was just a child and continued his research. Fully mature or not, it was still a vicious mermaid that had killed and slaughter probably thousands of human beings.

"Please, put me back in the water."

The young mermaid had a vast array of the English vocabulary, but that was unsurprising to the scientist. She had probably lived hundreds of years and had learned many languages in her lifetime. It was fascinating how a mermaid had a vast range of languages incomprehensible to a normal person. He had heard this girl speak at least 30, some of which he had never even heard.

Jack finished writing his findings and turned toward the girl who sat tied down on the lab table. He made sure to triple check his earmuffs, just to make sure they were still secure. He wasn't wearing the piece of equipment that would keep her from being able to read his thoughts, but he didn't honestly care about that.

Mr. Fenton was in no way attracted to small girls, but he was unsure if that would affect the mermaid's power over him if she had that control. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"I'll put you back in the tank if you tell me how old you are." He said, his voice calm and civil despite the creature he spoke to.

The girl had dry chapped lips and Jack could tell she was drying out very quickly.

Interesting, so merpeople could be killed. He made sure to write that down.

This particular mermaid looked extremely familiar, and Jack recalled the moment -that horrible moment- when a white-haired and green-eyed mermaid had dragged his son right off that island.

Could this be her?

His son was gay, which wouldn't make sense if the mermaid was the one who took him. No, it had to be a male. A male that just happened to look exactly like the female in this tank.

"893." Her voice was becoming a little hoarse, but Jack never broke a promise.

He tapped his foot on a switch on the floor and the table rose up, carrying the mermaid up and over the tank before unlatching the titanium cuffs on her wrists, neck, and fin. The loud splash that sounded as the table tipped and dropped her into the tank below would not be heard outside of the lab, and Jack was glad the walls were soundproof. No need for Dan or his son to hear what he was doing.

A couple of seconds later, her skin was glistening and her lips were soft and pink again, and Jack couldn't tell if he was fascinated or worried about how quickly the mermaids could heal. Maybe both.

Jack walked over to the wall and pulled a lever, watching as a large tuna fell into the tank with the mermaid.

It swam around for a bit, but the siren barely reacted. Nor did the tuna really seem all that afraid to be around the mermaid.

Odd... unless merpeople only ever attacked humans.

Well, it was late. He still had so many tests, but these could be done tomorrow. As soon as he finished taking all he wanted to learn from her, then he could dissect her.

The mermaid's eyes shot open and glanced fearfully at the scientist who was turned away from her, though Jack didn't seem to notice or care about the rise in her heart rate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Someone said it would be funny if Phantom was the bottom. Personally, I don't see him as the bottom at all, but this was the next best thing. I hope you enjoyed that, I've been looking forward to that scene for months now.


	35. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Hades actually lied to the sirens. Ever wonder how it's possible that Arisoal and Phantom were able to fall in love when it was supposed to be "impossible?" It's because Hades doesn't have the power to take away a creatures ability to love, and he knows that, so the next best thing was to make siren's as unlovable as he possibly could, by making them as evil and as vicious as they are. 
> 
> This is why Hades feels so threatened when a siren falls in love and severely punishes them. If it happens enough times, they might start to realize the truth, and there go all his soul stealers. Because they don't need to eat the human whole for sustenance, they only actually need a few bites, they just chose the follow their god and not be wasteful.
> 
> It's not impossible for them to fall in love, they just don't know that they can. It's much harder because in order for them to fall in love, they have to overcome their natural instincts and personality traits, they also have to want to love.
> 
> They just need a little inspiration. Someone to show them why love is worth it. Which is what Danny gave Phantom.

 

"So," Danny asked, sitting on his bed and ignoring his homework in favor of asking about Phantom's species again, "Not that I plan on hurting you, but other than heat, what can kill you?"

Phantom sighed, there was no way Danny was going to finish his calculus at this rate, "The sirens have to be careful to stay away from sharks. Like bull sharks, hammerheads, great whites, or pretty much any deep-sea shark. Those ugly creatures will eat them if they let it happen, or if they aren't paying attention." He turned the page to his AP biology book, "Unless you are an alpha, like me, who can release certain pheromones to keep them away. Sort of like a defense mechanism, but really not. It was more like, I was letting the shark know that if they got too close, then I would fucking kill it."

Danny nodded his head, intrigued, and relating Phantom to a rattlesnake. It was weird how the merman seemed to share traits with reptiles and felines. He was like a more aggressive version of the monster snakes you see in bad movies, or like a lion with a taste for human blood.

"There's also blood blossoms. That shit-head Samantha drugged me with those just before she went after you." The memory of the dead siren elicited anger, and Phantom narrowed his eyes down at his book, not that he was particularly reading it anymore. "Luckily, I was able to heal from it faster, I'm guessing because I'm half human now and blood blossoms don't affect humans in any way. Otherwise, the poison would have either killed me or at least made me extremely sick and in excruciating pain for a few days, minimum."

Bitter memory's flooded the front of Danny's mind.So, while he was wallowing in misery up in his bedroom listening to calm music, Phantom was writhing in pain somewhere fighting for his life?

It wasn't a pretty picture.

"Merpeople also die when they're on land too long and dry out, it suffocates them. We can also starve. We can bleed out if our wounds don't heal fast enough, though that's rare." Phantom listed off the possible causes of siren death and Danny was amazed by how limited it was.

Kind of relieved too...

"Hey, kids!" Danny could hear his father's muffled voice on the other side of his closed bedroom door coming closer, and the raven quickly picked up his homework to look like he was doing it.

Jack Fenton knocked before opening the door, and Danny was relieved to see the man had finally gotten into the habit of knocking ever since he confirmed that he and Phantom were in a relationship.

Phantom frowned as he looked at Jack, but Danny only distantly noticed it.

"I have to go out of town to pick up special supplies for the new job, I'll be gone for most of the night. Sorry that I didn't say something to y'all last night, I was in a rush and y'all weren't home." The man's dark blue eyes were kind as always, but they held secrets that didn't go unnoticed by the bedroom occupants.

Danny bowed his head slightly, wishing he knew what this "new job" was that was keeping his father out of the house. "Okay, Dad. Drive safe."

Jack nodded, and the door was shut a second later. The two boys could hear that the man wasted no time in leaving the house as they heard the front door slam shut almost immediately afterward.

"Danny," Phantom said as soon as Jack was out of the house.

The raven looked over and frowned at the concern on his boyfriend's face.

"He has a mermaid in his lab."

Danny's eyes widened, the only question burning in his head was, how? How the heck has his father gotten a hold of a mermaid and brought it back without getting himself killed.Wordlessly Danny got up and ran out the bedroom door down the stairs, Phantom a few feet behind him. His mind was blowing with so many questions that he could hardly tell if any of them were distinct, but the biggest and clearest one that was screaming at the front of his mind was, could he save it?

Danny made it to the door to his father's lab and typed in the code to get in, but Danny hissed in annoyance when the little screen said "Invalid Password" and cursed his father for changing the code.

Phantom brushed Danny aside though, and the raven sighed in relief when Phantom was able to punch in another code and the door opened; he must have heard his father think it.Danny was the first one down the stairs, and though all the recently used equipment around the lab worried him, the very obvious fish tank in the center of the lab was what drew his attention.

For a second, the crazy thought that he was looking at Phantom crossed his mind. That wasn't what he was looking at though, no. The mermaid in the tank looked almost exactly like Phantom, only female, and much, much younger. She had the saddest and terrified green eyes that he had seen since Phantom showed up on his door, and even that fear couldn't compare the horror currently overwhelming the poor siren.

She looked up when she noticed that the two were there, and recognition registered in her bright neon green eyes when she saw Phantom. She didn't seem too excited to see him though, but she looked at Danny with so much pleading that the raven damn near fell to his knees.

The siren was incredibly beautiful, but her obvious suffering made Danny want to cry for her. Her discomfort in the small unkempt tank was more easily perceived than when a compound fracture appeared painful. Danny knew what sort of tests his father would run on the mermaid, and knew the torture that she would have to go through if he left her there. Everything from testing how hot or cold Jack could make the water, to what her organs looked like would be tested and documented every day for the remainder of her life- however long that would be.

The siren looked at him sadly, as if knowing what he was thinking; and she probably did. No words needed to spoke aloud, she was fully aware of what her future looked like just by listening to Danny think.

He needed to help her out.

Danny pulled out his phone and called Sam and Tucker, not giving them a chance to respond before getting to the point, "Guys, I need your help."

...

"So," Tucker said carefully as he stared at the tank occupant, "You want us," he pointed to himself and Sam, who was staring at the tank with a similar wide-eyed expression of fear and hesitation, "To help you carry that man-eating human fish into your car, and help you keep her wet and hydrated until we can get her back to the ocean?"

"Yes," Danny thought he had been very clear with his instructions.

"Dude, won't she eat us?" Tucker was looking at his best friend as if he was crazy. Maybe he was, but Danny honestly didn't care. The siren had to be smart enough to know that humans were the best-and only chance of getting back to the sea alive. She wouldn't dare hurt any of them, and Danny was counting on it.

Danny turned his head and looked at the scared girl swimming around in what would soon be her death bed, she was looking at them with a hopeful look, as if silently begging with her eyes. She knew that she was in danger, and Danny just knew that look was her telling him that she would cooperate.

"No," he finally responded to his friend, "She won't hurt us, she's too smart to do something so dumb in her delicate situation. We'll be okay."

Phantom was looking around the lab in distaste, there were so many weapons around him, tools used to attack, torture, or kill. It was like his worst nightmare all collected in this room. This was just a common scientists personal lab, what would the government's lab look like?

The merman shivered, hoping to never have to find out.

Sam sighed, "Okay, we'll help you." She gave up, wondering if there would ever be a day that they could say no when Danny asked for help. The siren really was a beautiful creature, and Sam shuddered to think about what Danny's father would do to her, how he would ruin her.

Tucker hesitantly nodded, "yeah dude, tell us what you want us to do."

Danny smiled, already thinking about how he was going to repay them, he really owed them big time. Just help me move the ladder to the tank and help me get her in the car safely. Also, Sam," he looked to the human female, "Can you and Phantom figure out a way to make sure she has water for the drive? I'm sure Dad got her here without her drying up too much somehow."

They nodded, and when Sam and Phantom started looking around the room, Danny and Tucker lifted the heavy ladder and carried it over to the tank. They were able to put it against the tank without issue, and Danny quickly climbed up while Tucker made sure that it was stable.

Danny hesitantly approached the top of the tank, "Okay," he said carefully as he watched the mermaid swim up and break the surface towards him. "I'm going to help you back to the ocean... Don't eat me, okay?" 

He was putting more trust in her than he ever thought he would any other mermaid. Other than Phantom, merpeople had only ever shown him aggression.

"I won't, I won't, I promise," her voice was small and young, dripping with innocence and youth, and Danny was suddenly angry at his father for daring to harm a child. Even if the child  _was_  a siren, it was still a horrible thing to do.

The siren lifted her arms and Danny gathered the bravery to reach for her, feeling overwhelming relief when she retracted her claws and hid her teeth from him to appear less threatening. Yeah... he could do this.

Her skin was wet and as soft as scaled skin could be, and though she possessed awesome strength and was shaking with fear, she was very gentle when she wrapped her arms around Danny's neck so he could lift her up out of the tank. 

She frowned when she touched his skin, looking at the human sadly now. Danny didn't seem to notice.

She thought it unfortunate though, and she wished she could somehow help him in return for the raven deciding to save her life.

Water dripped off her body as he situated her in his arms, carrying her bridal style as he used the arm not under her tail to balance himself on the now slippery ladder. He carefully made his way down the steps as she held around his neck for her own balance, making sure to keep his footing. One slip and they would both probably get hurt- some more than others, as the mermaid would land on top of Danny. 

The raven had carried Phantom in merman form a couple times, and though the mermaid currently in his arms was definitely lighter than his boyfriend, it did not mean -by any means- that she was easy to carry down the ladder.

Sam and Phantom found a small tank that was just large enough for the mermaid, but even though it was no trouble for Phantom to lift the thing up with his superhuman strength, Sam was having trouble after a moment of carrying it. The tank seemed to get heavier the longer she held it; it was made of metal and glass, and she could only imagine how heavy it would be once it was filled with water. 

Sam looked around, there had to be some way to get it up the stairs and into the car. Jack didn't get it down here by carrying it in his pocket, that was for sure. After a moment of looking around, Phantom's eyes caught sight of a hand truck on the other side of the room, and he made the decision that it would have to do. 

As he was walking passed Danny and Tucker though, his boyfriend slipped on the last step, and the mermaids wet tail accidentally slapped Phantom in the side.

Seconds after Danny regained his footing on the floor of the lab after the close call from injury, 

Phantom groaned in annoyance as he himself fell as he became incapable of standing on feet. Or standing in general as he was now on the ground, wet, miffed, and in merman form.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Phantom." He looked at Tucker, "Quick, help him dry off, I need to get her upstairs, she's really heavy."

Luckily, drying Phantom off and getting him back on legs went faster than anticipated. The mermaid had only gotten a little water on his flesh, and the merman was able to go upstairs, get dry clothes, and come back within minutes.

It was more than a little difficult to actually get the mermaid up the stairs and safely loaded into Phantom's van, though. Danny had to set her down in the kitchen sink so he could help Sam and Tucker lift the now filled tank into Phantom's van. The lid that covered it luckily reduced spilling about 95%, but Phantom still steered clear so he didn't get wet on accident again. It was night time, but that didn't mean he was okay with changing out on the street like they were.

Danny was able to get the young mermaid into the tank and in no time after that, they were driving off, with Phantom at the wheel and Sam and Danny in the back. It was less cramped in Phantom's van than it would have been in Danny's car, and he was glad that the merman had chosen to get something big instead of the little car that Danny had suggested.

It was still going to be a long ride, though.

...

Jack Fenton punched in the code to his lab, newly purchased equipment in hand. He had never chipped a living creature's brain before and he was excited to get started. With this tracer, he would monitor her brain capacity and activity, possibly even control her speech and motor movements, if he was lucky.

He just had to prepare the dissection table and make sure she was too incapacitated to fight so he could open up her skull. It was unfortunate that her body would probably flush the anesthesia almost immediately, and Jack hesitated to think about the pain that the siren would probably go through, but she would heal. It was for the good of science.

He made his way down the stairs and turned on the light, but he dropped the box in his hands immediately.

The scientist almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. It didn't process at first that the mermaid was gone. It didn't register for a good few seconds, but oh... when it did.Rage and disappointment controlled his movements after that, and as soon as he realized that the mermaid had to have gotten out somehow, he ran over to his computers to pull up the video footage.

How did she escape? Did she do what the other mystery merperson did and become somehow able to walk on land? He was such an idiot for not considering it before. He should have locked her in the tank with the cover.

The footage showed the mermaid swimming around like normal, and Jack started fast forwarding until he hit play in shock as Dan and his son came into the camera. The two boys stood there considering the mermaid for a couple minutes while Jack wracked his brain trying to figure out how they had gotten into the lab in the first place.

Had the mermaid somehow controlled them? Put them under some sort of spell and told them what the code was?

Impossible, the walls of the lab were lined with the same technology that his headgear had, she couldn't have been able to get them down there with her powers.

Jack watched as Danny picked up his phone, and after another 10 minutes of them standing around watching the mermaid and talking to each other about something, Sam and Tucker showed up as well.

His jaw dropped open when he watched Danny and Tucker put the ladder up, and he ripped his eyes away from the screen to look around and make sure there was no splattered blood or bits of human flesh anywhere. There was none, and he looked back at the screen as Dan and Sam brought out the mobile tank that he had used to get her in the lab.

Were they planning on helping her back to the ocean? How could they be so foolish? How did they even know about her in the first place? He had kept his mouth shut about his "new job" the whole time that he had planned and transported the mermaid. There had to be some sort of explanation somewhere. Oh, were those kids getting the talk of a lifetime.

If they were even alive...

Jack shook his head, throwing the thought away. The kids were all alive and okay, they had to be.

_Right_?

Danny had almost made it down the ladder, and Jack sighed in relief when the mermaid didn't appear to be attacking or hurting his son.

What he wasn't prepared for was when Danny slipped, and before Jack could even process what happened, a second mermaid was in the room. Jack's sockets may as well have been sewn to the screen as he watched Dan- the kid he had housed, adored and fed for months now- transform into a siren right before his very eyes.

What the actual  _fuck_?

...

'Phantom.'

The driving merman looked up in the rear view mirror of the siren looking back at him through the mirror. Why would she be communicating through telepathy?

'What?' He responded the same way, turning the wheel when necessary, they had already been driving for a few hours and they should be at a good spot to quietly get Danielle back in the ocean without any other humans noticing. 

Things were going well, so far so good.

'I have to tell you something about your human,' her voice sounded quiet, and it was strange to hear another siren sound so sincere and unsure.

At the mention of Danny though, he started looking between her and the road, waiting for her to speak. 'Oh yeah? What's that?' he asked curiously.

'You know of my powers, right?'

Phantom nodded, but then glanced at the humans to make sure none of them had noticed the gesture, he needed to keep this between him and Danielle. Who knows what she wanted to tell him.

'Yeah, I remember. You can see everyone's future just by touching them, aside from your own.' The white-haired boy started to feel a little nervous. Had she seen Danny's future? What was she trying to tell him? 

'Well, first let me ask. He isn't sick or anything is he? Cancer? Plague? Allergies?' Danielle's hesitance to get to the point only made Phantom more nervous as he caught sight of seagulls flying and squawking around in the midnight sky. She was asking sensitive questions; Danny had none of those things, so why was she making it sound like he was dying?

Danny wasn't sick, the raven was perfectly healthy. It would stay like that too. Nothing was going to ever happen to him.

Even as Phantom told himself that, he couldn't help but feel like he was just trying to convince himself that it was the truth. This was a cruel, horrible world, and even as amazing as the humans were, there was still evil worse than Hades himself. Beside's what Hades wanted to do to Danny, there would always be someone out there that would ruin the raven if given the chance, and Phantom feared the day that he would be unable to protect his human.

'No, Danny is in perfect health, why?' He really hoped she would get to the point soon, he was getting annoyed with the conversation. Impatience was always his weakness. He never liked to wait for anything.

'Phantom...' She hesitated and they made eye contact in the rear-view mirror, as if she was unsure with how he would react, or maybe just unsure how to tell him the news.

What she said, however, had Phantom's heart dropping into his gut, and he nearly drove off the road in his moment of unfocused trepidation.

"Woah! Phantom!" Tucker yelled out, getting the merman's attention before he could crash. The driver swerved to miss a tree, but he didn't hear anything that the humans said after that. He was too preoccupied with the words that Danielle had said as they reverberated through his skull like a loud and undeniable echo.

'I saw nothing when I touched Danny, he doesn't have a future.'

...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! 
> 
> This chapter was going to be longer, but I thought that was just the perfect moment to end.
> 
> *Hides in a corner and throws chocolate and flowers at the aggressive and frustrated readers*
> 
> How are you liking the Fun-facts in the beginings? I'm putting things there that general readers wouldn't know. Facts that are are in this alternate universe, but aren't really covered in the story.
> 
> Go ahead and ask questions.
> 
> Don't forget to vote!


	36. Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Phantom will not change when he touches bodily fluids. Things like tears, semen, saliva, or sweat will not affect him.

****...

Getting Danielle back into the ocean was the hard part, and Danny, Sam, and Tucker knew it as soon as they realized Phantom could not touch the sea water for more reasons than one. He would be unable to help or risk Hades killing him if the waves so much as grazed his toe.

Phantom parked in a spot where nobody would see them as long as they were quiet and careful. It was night-time, so even if someone did see, they wouldn't be able to know exactly what they were doing- or what they were helping.

Even though the mermaid had not shown any hostility, the teenagers still had no trust in her, and they had gotten a chain to attach to Tucker's belt just in case Danielle decided she was hungry after returning to the water. It was currently hooked onto his pants and tied securely around his waist, and Phantom was holding onto the other end with Sam and Danny as Tucker carried the female siren. He was scared, but he knew that Danny would have passed out from fright if he had been given the task, and neither boy would allow Sam to do it, so he took one for the team.

Dragging Tucker down and feasting on him didn't seem to be her intention, because as soon as the teenager released her, she started to swim off, the only indication that she was grateful being the wave of goodbye she gave them meters away.

When Tucker made it back to the van safely, they all breathed a sigh of relief and piled into the vehicle. Danny was in the front this time and Sam and Tucker were in the back. None of them had the energy to talk much, but small conversation was made along the long drive home.

Phantom was quiet though, unable to do much other than focus on the road and glance over at his boyfriend every few minutes.

Danny looked so happy. Healthy.

Which assassin would it be? The next one? The one after that?

Exactly how long did Danny have? Days? Weeks?

Unanswered questions burned every nerve, twisted every molecule. Every inch of his body was crying out with worry.

He would _not_ lose Danny.

Phantom turned his head and saw that the raven was resting his head on the window, clearly exhausted after forcing himself awake and alert for hours now. It had to be around 2 in the morning and they were all ready for bed.

The merman couldn't even think about sleep. His human, the boy who had drilled a hole and made a warm home in his cold heart, had no future.

The reality of the situation hit Phantom. Danny was in grave danger.

What could he do about it?

If he left Danny and just never came back, would Hades still go after him? Hades wanted him to live in anguish and regret, possibly torture if things went his way.

Phantom shook his head, it was no good; Hades wouldn't just stop trying to kill Danny if he left his side for good. Hades probably already knows that killing Danny is the best way to break him, so he would take his soul anyway just to make life on land hell.

He would have to stay and keep fighting then, but with Danielle's revelation, it was obvious that wouldn't always work.

What if next time an assassin comes, he isn't there to protect him?

... Well, it's official then, he isn't letting Danny out of his sight for any reason.

The sound of a phone ringing interrupted Phantom's internal monologue and the rest of the van's peaceful quiet, and Danny opened tired and watery eyes to pick out his phone from his back pocket.

As soon as he looked at the caller ID, Danny's face paled. "It's my Dad."

He was such an idiot, he should have realized sooner that his father would come home and see that the mermaid was gone. He could kick himself for not being prepared with some kind of cover story.

"Hi, Dad. Sorry, I went out with my friends-."

_"You are in so much trouble."_ Jack's voice sounded dark, and the sound of it had Danny's skin going cold.

For a second, the raven was unable to form words, "um, Dad? Sorry that I didn't tell you but you left in a hu-."

_"Stop lying."_

Uh oh... His dad was using his father voice. The one Danny only remembered him using once in his life; when he stole pills from a pharmacy when he was 13. Jack had been so mad, it was like his whole demeanor changed. His aura had gone from bright shiny colors, to gray and dangerous.

His father was livid.

"Dad? What's going on?" He looked over at Phantom in concern, and they were both making eye contact while Sam and Tucker listened in from the back seat.

_"You let one of those creatures into my house."_ It wasn't a question, it was definitely a statement.

Danny's breath caught, his blue eyes shooting over to Phantom. "Um," he really was incapable of words now.

_"I guess I can't be too mad at you directly, you are attracted to men after all, and Dan is a pretty face. It was probably so easy for him to control you."_

It was like time froze, all the oxygen in the world was gone, all the lights were out, storm clouds had blocked the stars, and that's when Danny started to panic.

"Dad, it's not what you think. I'll be home soon." Anxiety and apprehension was the only emotion that Danny was aware of when he hung up. He looked over at Phantom but it appeared that the merman already knew what was going on if his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and pale face was any indication.

The same couldn't be said for the two in the back, and they started questioning what happened as soon as the phone was shoved back in the raven's pocket. "What happened?"

"Dad knows that Phantom's a siren." Danny watched as his friend's eyes widened, "I don't know how he found out, but he knows now and I think he wants to hurt him." He turned in his seat to look at the hybrid, sleep the farthest thing from his mind at this point. "You need to stay with Sam and Tucker until I can talk to him."

The idea of leaving Danny's side was not an option, not if the raven's imminent death was a possibility. There was no way that Danny would take no for an answer though, so Phantom just nodded. A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?

Danny nodded, looking slightly relieved as if the confirmation that Phantom would not be in immediate danger just yet relaxed him a little.

Phantom sighed.

...

Jack Fenton put the gun in its holster, the other five lined up on his belt loaded and ready. He had hunting gear and a couple of handguns he had gotten from the pawn shop a few years ago. His headset was secure, duck taped to his head just to be extra safe, and his orange jumpsuit was zipped up to cover his entire body -including his hair- to protect from any outside power that the siren may have.

It was amazing how Dan had been there for months, but it appeared that Jack knew next to nothing about him.

Anger boiled and rotted deep within him. That monster had been manipulating his son and lying to him in his own home for over half a year now. How had he not seen it sooner? He could be such an idiot sometimes. White hair, glowing green eyes, perfect features, 'There is a mermaid on land somewhere'.

"Grr," Jack growled, there had been so many clues, so many arrows pointing right at Dan, yet he had been unable to realize that there was a mermaid under his own roof. He felt used and angry that his son was being used. 

His precious, sweet, _vulnerable_ boy. His son, who saw the light in the dark and loved more than his heart could take. He wondered just how twisted Dan had his son's emotions by now. Even he had grown to adore the kid! He could hardly bear to imagine how his son must feel about the merman. Danny would be crushed, _broken_ when Jack did what he had to do. All the father could hope for at this point, was that he would be able to pick up the pieces and mend his son back together. 

Danny was going to be a mess...

The pain finally registered, Jack couldn't bear the betrayal he felt, or the impending agony he was going to put his own son through. He felt like he was about to kill Danny's spirit, and he couldn't shake off the instinct to refuse what he needed to do now. 

He couldn't though. Danny would never be free from Dan's spell until the merman was eradicated.

The front door opened and shut, and Jack was fully prepared for the hectic battle of both physical and emotional anguish. He knew instinct and reality would clash together like a couple of titans on the front lines of war, but he couldn't back down until he conquered. Until it was safe. 

He would grieve later.

"Dad!"   
  
Already Danny sounded frantic, scared, and Jack knew it was because of Dan. It needed to end. He knew his son was strong, stronger than any kid he had ever seen or met in his life. He would get over the pain, find someone new eventually even. He just hoped that Danny would find it within himself to forgive him for this.

Jack stood by the stairs when Danny's wide blue eyes met his, and the heavy panting that the boy let out let Jack know that he was on the brink of panic. 

Carefully, Jack spoke, "Son, I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me where Dan is."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Danny was already shaking his head from side to side, "No, Dad, you can't hurt him. He's part of this family."

More anger boiled, and Jack swallowed down the harsh words that hit the front of his mind as if trying to break through his skull towards the teenager. Dan was the farthest thing from family.

"Son, he is a merman, a creature whose only purpose on Earth is to manipulate, corrupt, and massacre. He can't hold a candle to the meaning of 'family'." He knew his eyes were narrowed, and his anger was most likely visible on his face, but Jack was holding back. He needed to try to be sensitive, but he also needed to make Danny see reason. His son needed to see reality.

He started to step forward, his intention to walk passed his son to start the hunt. Dan couldn't be far-.

"Woah!" He exclaimed when Danny jumped him. An arm came around his neck and Jack's eyes widened when he realized that his son was currently choking him. Dead weight weighed him down, and in no time at all, the father lost balance and fell to the ground next to the stairs. His throat was released but before he knew what happened, he could hear metal clinking together and a feel tightness on his wrist.

His flabbergasted eyes shot to his wrist and his jaw dropped open. The handcuffs that were strapped to his belt just 5 seconds ago were now securely attached to his wrist and the bar on the stairs.

"Did you just handcuff me to the stairs?!" Oh... Now he was angry for different reasons. His son was really going to get it later. 

He looked over to a very guilty looking teenager, who was backing away slowly with the keys in his hand as if he was previously unaware of his own actions.

Danny had no idea he was capable of that.

"Dad, I'm..." he breathed out slowly, "I'm sorry, I can't let you hurt him." 

"Danny, he's a siren! How can you protect him!?" 

"Remember that kid that protected me from bullies? Remember that kid that you have said you love multiple times now? The same kid that eats dinner every night with us? That's Phantom, his real name is Phantom." The light was shining in Danny's glassy eyes, and Jack knew that the boy was desperate for him to say something that didn't mean the siren's death.

How could his son ask that of him? A siren was a siren, in and out, incapable of human emotions.

"He is a siren, Daniel." Danny flinched, Jack only ever used his full name like that when he was truly angry. "He isn't capable of remorse, or love, or compassion, or joy, or anything that a human feels."

"Dad, he is human! He may be half siren, but Dad, he loves! He laughs! He cries! He hurts! I've seen it. You've seen it!"

"You're being controlled. You're only seeing what he wants you to see because you are innocent and he is attractive." They were both yelling by now, but neither of them seemed to care as emotion clouded their words. "Don't you see? He's using you!"

"No, Dad. He isn't even here right now, how could he be controlling me? Dad, don't you ever hear us argue? We argue as much as the next healthy couple, if he was manipulating me, all those arguments would have been so much shorter and nothing would ever get resolved, Phantom and I wouldn't be as close as we are."

Jack was nosy in nature, especially after the hospital incident with his son. He did often listen in when the two of them argued just to make sure that his son was going to be okay, and to make sure that Dan didn't do what some teenagers did; take advantage of the weak.

It was true that things usually settled normally, like a normal relationship that didn't let pride cloud judgment.

It was a fact that contradicted known logic about the relationship sirens had with humans.

Still though...

"Danny, let me out of this cuff and tell me where he is so I can take care of the problem." His voice was stern and normally it would have Danny doing what he was told as if his tone was a remote control for his son's actions. The teen didn't make any move to obey though.

"He isn't a problem, Dad." A tear fell from his baby blue eyes, but it was quickly wiped away and forgotten, "He's done nothing but protect me the entire time that he's been here. He doesn't even need me, really. He hasn't in months, yet he chooses to stay in this house with us because he loves me! He loves me, Dad."

So much naivety, so much careless desire. His son was worse than he thought, Dan was so much deeper into his mind and heart than he initially anticipated.

"What about when he gets hungry? What has he been eating all this time? Don't you dare try to tell me that he only lives on human food." Jack's eyes became darker the moment he saw the hesitance and lack of eye contact after that question. It only took a second for the father to understand.

"He does need human meat... every month or so..." He let his soft voice hang there, there was no more yelling, and the teen didn't bother to elaborate. That only served to incriminate Dan more.

"Where has he been _getting_ it, Daniel." The false sweetness announced the passive-aggressive anger that resided in the venom of his words.

Eye contact was made after a couple of seconds, but the silence was enough of an answer that Jack knew exactly where the merman was getting the human flesh.

How many scars was his son hiding under those clothes?

"Dad," Danny started again carefully, "I know what I signed up for when I chose to take care of him. I knew what I was getting myself into when I asked if he could stay. He doesn't take a lot from me, and he holds off for as long as he can."

Jack was about to say something about how sick it was that Danny would allow that creature to feed off him like he was some cattle farm, but the teen continued before he could.

"Just because he needs to feed off me every few weeks doesn't make him evil; he can't help it. If he doesn't feed, he is going to die."

"He's the one that kidnapped you isn't he?" Jack suddenly asked as recognition and memory hit him all at once.

Danny flinched.

"Isn't he!?" Jack asked again, this time not waiting for an answer. "How could you possibly stand to be around him, Daniel Fenton?"

"He's sorry, Dad." There goes that look that resembled a small puppy with his ears drooping uselessly on the sides of his head. "He's made up for it. He's taken care of me since then."

There those words were again. 'He's taken care of me', 'He's protected me'.

Oh...

Something was very clear now. It all made sense. The evidence that the FBI and the forensics found, the teeth marks on Vlad's body, the strange and unexplained location difference between the time of death and discovery, Danny's secrecy, the lies, the fear, the hesitance around political authority...

"Dan killed Vlad." It wasn't really a question, more of a verbalized realization. It was the one thing in the conversation that was not shouted, nor was it spoken out of anger. It was calm, tranquil in all its nauseating discovery. It was sickening and relieving in a terrible mix of complicated emotion that Jack couldn't pinpoint or understand. He couldn't tell if he was happy, horrified, relieved, disgusted, or an awkward mix of everything.

The kid that he had been living with had _mutilated_ Vlad, and he had no idea.

"Vlad tried to hurt me. Badly." Danny said as he played with the keys in his hand, "Phantom wouldn't let him..." 

_Finally_ , Jack thought as he stared at his son, there was the truth he had been looking for ever since he first suspected his son had something to do with Vlad's death. 

So it was true then. He had been right all along in his suspicions. Vlad tried to violate his son, and the man paid for it with his life. Only it wasn't Danny that killed him, no. It was Dan. 

"You got rid of the body?" 

Danny nodded hesitantly as if he was scared to let his father know that he had gotten his hands dirty.

Jack didn't need to ask to know that Sam and Tucker were somehow involved, those three had been inseparable since they were three and shared everything. Even the deepest, darkest, more terrifying secrets. Danny didn't just lie to protect Dan, he lied to protect Sam and Tucker too.

So Dan was the one to kill Vlad...

It was strange, to feel grateful and hateful towards someone at the same time.

It was overwhelming, it was all too much. This was too hard, Dan was too deep into their lives. His son was completely, utterly, irrevocably, and undeniably head over heels in love with a monster, and there was nothing that Jack could do about it. The demon had attached itself to the innocent boy and...

Jack couldn't kill him.

He had no idea what to do now.

"Bring him here, Danny." The teenager flinched again, but stared hopefully at his father, "I want to talk to him." He was wearing a headset still, and Jack knew that no matter what, Dan would be unable to hypnotize him in any way, nor could he read his thoughts and manipulate him.

Danny nodded, "Okay, I'll have him come. But I'm taking your guns first."

...

Phantom felt terrible.

He had never felt like such an asshole more than he did right then as he sat outside the Fenton household, listening to Danny's thoughts and monitoring the area around the house. 

Danny asked him to stay with Sam and Tucker, but he couldn't do that and make sure no sirens came and did away with the raven at the same time. Phantom had to make a choice, and it was either to do as Danny asked and risk his life, or use his powers for evil for the first time in months and hypnotize Danny's friends so he may sneak away and protect him.

Danny would be disappointed.

It was worth it though if it meant that he could be there if someone attacked the raven. Phantom wouldn't let anything happen to him. It was a small price to pay, and Phantom's only regret was that Danny was going to be upset. Even if his father did make it outside to begin hunting him down, Phantom knew that he could get away. He was smart, cunning, and had powers that the Fentons couldn't even dream about.

That's when his phone rang.

He took his hand off his face and reached into his pocket, already knowing it was Danny calling to tell him to come home. Little did he know that he was there the whole time.

"Hello?" he said bitterly.

_"Phantom, Dad wants to talk to you, I have his guns and he won't be able to attack you, it's safe."_

"Mmm. 'Kay." He hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket, it was time to deal with the problem. He didn't know if Jack would hate him, try to kill him, welcome him, or throw him out of the house. All he knew was that whatever happened, he had to make sure that Danny was safe. If it meant he had to come clean about everything about himself, and what his relationship with Danny entailed, and that Hades would love to have both their heads on a trophy, then so be it.

He slowly opened the front door and stepped inside, barely acknowledging the brief confusion written on Danny's face in regards to how he had gotten there so fast as he hesitantly walked over to sit on the floor a few feet in front of the father.

Jack wasted no time in starting the conversation, and Danny's confusion quickly evaporated to be brought up later as he focused his attention on the two others in the house.

"So. You're a siren."

Phantom felt like he was sinking, and it was a strange feeling; to feel like a mere human held more power than him. "Yes."

"So then how are you on land? Why are you on legs?" 

"Hades is a cruel god, who only appreciates misery. I chose to spare Danny, despite the intended nature that my god tried to force on us during creation. Because of this, he punished me by forcing me onto land where he hoped that I would expose myself to scientists that would hurt me for the rest of my life." He kept the explanation short and basic. To the point without making it confusing. "I got very lucky that Danny chose to show me kindness."

Phantom could smell the amount of anger radiating off the adult human, and the smell of Danny's nervousness choked him.

"So you are the one who took Danny from me all those months." It was a statement, almost a _dare_ to deny what is already clear.

Phantom thought it un-smart to lie. "Yes."

"And you dare come into my house?" It was like Jack was trying to force daggers to materialized in front of his face so that he may throw them at Phantom's head, but none appeared.

Phantom was remorseful, but not regretful. He was sorry for making Jack suffer during those months that he kept Danny, but he would never take it back. Blame it on how selfish the merman was, but he would never regret meeting and falling in love with Danny, no matter what circumstances lead him to it.

The merman didn't bother saying anything in his defense. He didn't know what to say. He felt helpless.

"I don't trust you. I want you out of my house before nightfall. The only reason I am not taking you down to my lab is only for the fact that you kept that piece of shit Vlad off my son." He yanked at the restraints on his wrist as if he could release himself from mere strength, the cuffs didn't give though, "Think of it as a life for a life."

Phantom blinked. Somehow he had expected this to happen, but he was unprepared for how much it would hurt. Originally, he had been curious about Danny relationship with his father. The devotion that Jack had to fathering Danny was remarkable, the love that he had undeniable. 

The merman liked Jack; even felt safer around him, like he could count on the man to have his back if something was to happen to him. It hurt to know that in almost no time at all, the affection that he had from Danny's father turned to hatred. He felt the cold bite of rejection infect his heart and spread throughout his body until the poison burned its way into bitter reality. 

Strange...

Danny told him that once someone loves another, they would always love them no matter what. 

"Dad, no! Can't you see that he's hurting? That pain is real! He's is as human as you and I. How could you reject him like this?" Danny was yelling again, his own anger replacing the worry and nervousness that he originally felt through most of the encounter with his father.

"Danny, it's okay." The merman said softly as he got up on his feet, it was time to accept that he never really belonged there, no matter how much it felt like he did just hours ago. "I'll just go get my things."

"No! It's not okay, you don't have to go." Danny stood in the way of the stairs before Phantom could make it to them.

"Yeah, I think I do Danny." 

"Then I'll go with you."

Phantom shook his head, Danny was a sensitive creature who was still to this day suffering the abandonment of his mother. The last thing he needed was to destroy his relationship with his father. If Danny left now, Jack and Danny would never forgive each other and their great father/son relationship would be dead. Phantom couldn't allow that to happen. 

"No. You need your father, precious." They would be together again when Danny became of age and graduated high school, he would be able to do whatever he wanted. In the meantime though, Danny needed his father more than he needed a merman tearing his life apart. Just like Jack needed Danny. When Danny was older, a little more mature, and had recovered from this night with his father, then they could live together again. For right now though, Phantom was unwelcome.

"I need you!" Tears started to fall from crystal blue eyes, and there goes that noise. That horrible noise that Phantom had never liked to hear; the sound of the raven's voice cracking just before he started to cry. "What if I don't see you? What if someone tries to hurt me again?"

Phantom grabbed each side of the boy's face and pressed their foreheads together, using his thumbs to wipe away the falling salty tears. 

"You won't be able to keep me away," he promised.

Danny whimpered and closed his eyes, reaching up and grabbing the hands on his face to hold them in place.

"Don't worry about the other sirens, I'm just a phone call away, and I won't be far at all. I promise." He kissed Danny's forehead, "I'm sure if you tell your dad what is going on, he has all the means to protect you until I can get to you."

"What if you get hurt? What if it rains? What if you get hungry?" Concern, anger, and so much _sadness_ scented the raven's normally sweet smell. It drove Phantom mad. He wanted that citrus flowery scent of happiness back. This anguish that his human felt didn't suit him.

"It will be okay, Pet. I have lots of money." A small tear fell from the corner of his green eye, but luckily Danny didn't see it as his own eyes were shut for that moment, "I'll find a place to stay." 

It was incredibly hard, to be forced out of his place of residence for the second time that year. This time though, Phantom wasn't just leaving his cave, wasn't just leaving his bed. 

He was leaving his home.

"Wait."

Phantom turned his eyes over to Jack, who had been sitting quietly, still attached to the stairs with the key to the handcuffs securely in the palm of Danny's hand.

The man was looking at them with a look of defeat, and Phantom wrapped an arm around the raven's shoulders as he started to cry in his neck.

Jack stared at Phantom as the merman stared right back. Those green eyes that he had seen every day for the last 7 or 8 months were familiar in the most non-threatening way. The same eyes that belonged to the most dangerous creature in the world. The very creature that his parents had spent their lives trying to find and hunt down, that his _great-grand-parents_ dedicated their lives to exposing. The same vial and demonic monster that had kidnapped, tortured, and eaten many humans in his long lifetime. 

Yet all he saw was Dan.

If sirens weren't supposed to be capable of doing selfless things, then why bother trying to persuade Danny to stay with his father? If merpeople were incapable of feeling human emotion, then why was there so much pain in Dan's eyes?

"That day, when you took Danny. You saved my life." 

Phantom blinked, remembering the day that he first met Jack Fenton. He had no idea at the time that the man that he had contemplated drowning for the low purpose of a quick meal would be the man that he adored on a personal level today. 

Jack brought so much meaning, shined a light on so much definition. Phantom used to question why parents would do anything for their kids. 

He understood now. Understood the bond that parents had the potential to have with their children.

"Danny asked me to." 

This was a scientific anomaly. That or his great-grandparents research was incorrect. Sirens weren't supposed to understand favors, social cues and human-like interaction was unheard of among merpeople. So was mercy. 

"You gave my son back to me."

"Yes." It had been a journey of self-discovery and crippling confusion, but releasing Danny was the smartest decision he had ever made in his life. He couldn't even imagine what life would be like if he had chosen to keep Danny down in that cave.

"You..." Jack paused, "You aren't going to take him from me again?"

"Not under these circumstances, no." Phantom's voice had become less anxious as he became more sure of himself. Jack may intimidate him to a small degree, but he was not one to show it. He wouldn't take Danny from him again, at least not until... well... 

Marriage wasn't something known to his own culture, but neither was love or happiness. Danny wanted a life with him, even knowing the awful things that he had done as a merman. All Phantom wanted was to be by his side forever, and continue learning what it meant to be human.

"Why?"

"Because I love him. Very much. I know that he is much better off in this house." He chose not to mention that it was also safer because of the number of guns and hunting gear stored throughout the house. If Danny were to be attacked, he had so much around him for protection. 

Danny's heart warmed. That was the second time that Phantom had said it out loud.

"If I let you stay here, I have one condition," Jack said after a moment of silence and thought.

Phantom tilted his head in curiosity, and Danny peaked out from the side of the merman's neck, his raven hair covering most of his face.

"30 years ago, my father died at sea. His ship was parked by a cave 100 miles away from here, but there was no trace of him. They told my mother and me that he drowned, but we knew the truth. Mermaids killed my father."

Danny blinked and wiped the tears from his eyes. His Dad had never mentioned his grandparents before.

"Ever since then, I dedicated my life to researching and exposing your kind. I was never able to find even a clue that you were real until just two years ago. Sirens are cunning and elusive, and for years I was bullied by peers and neighbors. I sacrificed my research and my job as a scientist after you took Danny. I gave up the search and the blood-related instinct to scour the globe until every last one of your kind is found and extinguished. 

"Really though, all I want now is to just... know about you. For myself. Your species is the most advanced, most amazing race on the Earth. I won't expose you, I won't do any painful or un-consensual experiments on you, and I won't kick you out. But I want you to tell me about your kind and not leave anything out."

Phantom didn't say anything at first, and his green eyes shifted to Danny.

The raven shrugged, "It's your body Phantom, your culture. Your choice."

The merman nodded. "Then what do you wanna know?"

...

 


	37. Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: In case I didn't make it obvious, Tucker is straight, but he is gay only for Danny. Which is why Phantom is able to hypnotize him; because he has an attraction to guys, even though it is very, very slight. Tucker remains unaware of the attraction though, and Phantom can never stop internally laughing because he is currently the only one alive that knows about the crush.
> 
> Sam still wishes that Danny wasn't gay. Povresita... I don't feel bad for her.

 

...

Constant clicking was the only current sound in the room as Danny played around with the soundtrack of the new song he was working on. Phantom sat on the bed, playing with the bandage that Jack had put on after taking a harmless blood sample. Not that he needed it anymore.

He tore the bandage off, and the sound of it ripping filled the room, shocking Danny out of his concentration for a second before he went back to what he was doing. The song was only half finished, and he wanted it to be done before the end of the week. These things usually took him a month when he did it leisurely, and under pressure, it took him, at the fastest, a week.

The board of music was usually flexible with him on the account that he was a full-time high-school student, there were times though, that they became more demanding.

It was okay, this was a good week for them to be demanding; he had already finished all the projects and turned in all the essays, so this school week should be more or less mellow in regards to homework. He had plenty of time to work.

"How come you never sing the song?" Phantom asked out of the blue, still sitting on the bed, now reading a book.

Danny side glanced him, his father had kept his word that he would not perform any experiments without Phantom's strict consent. The man had seemed to treat the merman almost the same as he did before he knew that he was a siren, just more aware. Aware that Phantom had the power to manipulate and lie, aware that he was stronger than the man of steel, aware that underneath the human disguise, he was hungry.

Jack didn't seem to be mistreating him though, and he kept his promise about letting him stay in the house instead of kicking him out. The merman still had all the freedom that he had before, and though the adult human seemed tense around Phantom, he didn't necessarily treat him badly.

Already in the two days that Jack had known, he had gotten a blood sample, a hair sample, a saliva sample, performed some eye scans, cat-scans, X-rays, and had asked thousands of questions ranging from how old Phantom was, to what kind of powers he had.

All with permission, and as long as it was okay with Phantom, then Danny was alright with it.   
Danny had been mad when Phantom admitted that he had hypnotized Sam and Tucker in order to stay close to him, and that talk had been long and stressful. It had called for many silent breaks in the conversation to keep the yelling to a minimum, but sooner or later, Phantom called Sam and Tucker over and released them from his spell to apologize.

The two friends had been annoyed, to say the least, and had threatened that Phantom wouldn't hear the end of it if he ever did it again, but they let him off the hook with a warning and a couple of bad attitudes.

"I don't sound as good as you," Danny started typing the lyrics, coding them to match up with the rhythm of the music.

'bittersweet memories

that is all I'm taking with me

so, goodbye

please don't cry

we both know I'm not what you, you need.'

"Nonsense, Precious, I know what you're hiding in that voice of yours. People would love you." Phantom stood from the bed and walked over to the raven, the open window letting in the neutral temperature afternoon air. They had just gotten home from school, Danny wanted to get home quickly so that he could work on the song. It was already Tuesday, and it was due Friday- written, recorded, and ready to play on air.

Suddenly a scent caught in Phantom's nose, and he looked around in confusion. He had never smelt that before, and he was stumped with the only thought of what it could possibly be. Then he turned to Danny, who's stomach started growling loudly.

Something wasn't right. The smell in the air was coming from the raven's skin, and it was... different.

"Well, as sweet as your coaxing is, babe, I still think that you're-" Phantom walked up and grabbed Danny's hand, turning the boy around in his rolling chair. " _What?_ \- Phantom what are you doing? I was busy." Danny didn't appear to be acting different or unusual.

That smell though.

The merman leaned forward into the raven's neck and sniffed at the skin there, making Danny blush royally as he tried to sink in his chair from embarrassment. 

"Are you hungry or something?" Danny asked dizzily as he tried to ignore the breath on his neck. 

Phantom shook his head no.

The human's stomach growled again, and at the sound of his own hunger, Danny stood, turning around to click save and close as a sudden decision had him moving, "Well, you may not be, but I am suddenly very hungry, wanna go grab a burger?"

Phantom allowed Danny to pull his hand free, and the green-eyed teen stared at the human, trying to place what was different. He seemed to be healthy, no dramatic mood changes, and Phantom couldn't smell anyone around other than the kid's father. "Sure, I guess so, I'll go get your keys."

"Actually," Danny turned around with a smile, "It's cool enough outside for you, and it's only a ten-minute walk."

The merman was sure that his skepticism was readable on his face, but there was no harm in going for a quick walk, right? The sudden desire to have one was weird though, Danny didn't particularly like walking anywhere since getting his car.

"Uh," Phantom hesitated only briefly, but surely he would be able to tell if something was wrong, right? "Sure."

"Great!" Danny said happily as he grabbed his wallet and shoved his phone in his pocket, "Let's go then."

That smell was still in the air, it wasn't foul, but it wasn't sweet either. He wondered if he should bring it up to Danny, but chose not to, there was no need to worry him if there was nothing wrong.

Phantom shrugged and followed Danny out to the stairs, but it only took the raven two steps before he tripped over his own feet, starting to fall forward head first down the wooden staircase.

Before the kid could even think to scream or try to catch himself though, Phantom grabbed the back of his shirt and the stair post before the dumbass could break his neck, effectively stopping the fall.

The merman yanked him up and after some fumbling, Danny got his feet back under him. He looked pale as if the traumatizing moment when he knew he was about to get hurt was still flashing in his head.

"You okay?" Phantom asked, though he already knew the answer to a very intimate degree.

Danny nodded, but his voice cracked when he spoke, still trying to recover from the almost accident, "Yeah, I'm great, we should really get some traction on these stairs though." he cleared his throat and straightened his wrinkled shirt before securely holding onto the stair rail to continue his way down.

"Good idea," Phantom said quietly as he followed Danny out the front door and down the street. 

...

"Bro? Are you sure you got a good grip on that, Bro?"

"Yeah, Bro, I got it nice and snug, Bro."

Martin and Luther were best friends who worked together, but they had somewhere to be in thirty minutes and they wanted to get this 8 by 6-foot glass window installed as quickly as possible. 

"Okay, Bro, since we didn't attach it to the equipment as securely as we should have, we need to be very careful 'cause it's pretty loose, Bro."

"Okay, Bro." 

They stepped up on the latter and pulled the lever to lift the heavy glass up to the 10th floor of the business office, the leather straps that held each corner cried out from the strain of lifting the window. The two construction workers grunted with the effort of lifting the thing up all the way, but they worked in sync and so far, everything was okay in the world.

When it was finally up in the air with them, Martin looked at Luther, his bright red dreads covering his eyes. The glass did something to the direction of the wind, making everything muffled, and Luther's afro blew in all directions with it.

"Okay, Bro, I'm gonna let go and bring it over to the groove, Bro."

"What? Let go and bring it over to the groove, Bro?"

"Yeah, Bro, that's exactly what I said, Bro."

"Okay, Bro."

Both of them let go of the rope at the same time, but before they even knew what was going on, the rope flew up and released itself from the pully, dragged along by the weight of the window as it fell.

Luther gasped as his eyes widened and he screamed out, "Woah! Oh god, Bro, LOOK OUT BELOW!"

...

Danny and Phantom walked along the sidewalk, they had left the house just minutes ago and the roads seemed busier than a normal today. 

The merman was staring at the raven as he walked a few feet ahead, trying and failing to figure out what was up. His scent was so different, but Danny seemed fine.

His green eyes traced along the raven's frame.

He wasn't bleeding anywhere, nothing seemed broken, his mood was still normal and his mind was still Danny. So what could it be?

That's when he noticed something, it was so minor that he couldn't really kick himself for not noticing it earlier, but now that he knew it was there he was positive that something was  _definitely_  wrong.

Danny's shadow was gone.

It didn't seem normal, or possible, but the fact that there were shadows all around them, including at his own two feet, except for on the ground where Danny walked, it was a clear sign that an outside force was up to something.

Could it be another siren? What kind of siren could do that? Hide another person's shadow? If it was a siren, then they were in deep trouble if they were already making a move and Phantom had only just caught on to this detail in Danny's anatomy.

Bad.

Very bad.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!" Usually, when someone hears that yelled out from above, their first instinct is to look up, right? Well, Danny looked from side to side.

Phantom looked up, though, and his features went from confused to utterly horrified as he watched an over-sized piece of glass came crashing down.

Right over Danny.

Without a second to lose, Phantom ran and tackled the raven over and covered his body with his own just as the glass window shattered on the concrete behind them.

The noise was loud and terrifying, and Danny's shock didn't allow it to register at first that he was unharmed, so his nervous system freaked out. Phantom would be worried he would faint if he wasn't already on the ground below him.

The raven panted for breath, the strike to his bravery had hit like a machine gun and it would take more than a moment for Danny to get over the panic. Phantom got off of him and lifted his body up off the concrete ground, and as his brain finally started to gather that his body was in no danger, the teen started to slow his breathing.

"Omg, Bro." A construction worker stepped off the latter, followed by his partner as they made their way carefully across the broken glass. Pedestrians and people who had been inside the building were circling around to see the damage. 

"We're in trouble, Bro," the other worker said to his friend.

Phantom checked Danny over to make sure he was okay before turning angry eyes at the two workers, "What the actual fuck?" 

Danny flinched at the anger in his boyfriend's voice.

"Bro, we're sorry, Bro." The worker grabbed his dreads as if he was trying hard not to rip them out, his partner stood next to him just as wide-eyed and worried. 

The guy with the afro started to beg, "Please don't sue us, Bro, our boss will kill us. Here," he pulled out his wallet and pulled out $300 in cash, "We'll give you money and everything, Bro, I have more at my house stashed away, just don't sue us, Bro."

Danny glanced between the two workers fumbling with their wallets, looking as pale as white sheets of paper. Phantom was livid, and Danny was honestly surprised that his eyes weren't glowing a blood red at the moment. Huge shards of glass were everywhere, and Danny was glad he wasn't the poor guy that would have to clean up the mess. Light reflected off the shards and practically burned holes in his retina, but he put a hand on the merman's shoulder anyway.

"Phantom," his white-haired boyfriend turned to look at him, "Let them be, we'll report it later." They had hundreds of thousands of dollars in their bank accounts, there was no need to sue, or to take their pocket money. There was plenty of witnesses, and from what Danny could see there were people recording this on their phones. Whatever company these two workers were a part of, their boss would hear about this within the hour.

At the word 'report' the two worker's mouths dropped open and they started talking to each other in mortification.

"Oh, shit, Bro, we're so fired, Bro, what are we going to do, Bro?"

"It's okay, Bro, we still got the naturalist club, Bro."

"Okay, Bro."

Phantom rolled his eyes but carefully stepped over the big pieces of glass, grabbing Danny's hand as he went and they walked away. 

Danny blinked a few times but grabbed onto Phantom's hand, the nasty burger was just a few blocks away now. The roads were very busy and every three seconds a car going at least 45 miles an hour passed them.

"You can't seriously still be hungry after that." The merman side glanced the raven, amazed by the kid's ravenous stomach. 

They stopped at a stop light and pressed the cross button before waiting at the corner for the light to turn red and the sign to say it was safe to cross.

"Hey, I'm a healthy growing boy, I need calories-  _woah_!" Danny heard the bells before he felt the impact that ripped him out of Phantom's hand. A bike rider who didn't seem to care about avoiding pedestrian traffic knocked Danny over right off the sidewalk.

The first thing Danny realized was that he was on the street, and the second thing he realized was the loud honking coming from his right.

Just as he turned his head to see an 18 wheeler just feet away from turning him into a pile of blood on the side of the road, he felt a strong grip on his ankles yank and drag him back onto the sidewalk. He could feel the concrete scraping against the flesh on his back, and he knew there would be ugly bruising and skid marks in the morning. Though that wasn't what was occupying the front of his mind as Phantom lifted him up off the ground and helped him regain balance for the 3rd time in less than 10 minutes.

The smell of blood filled the air, further concerning Phantom as he checked Danny over, lifting up the back of his shirt to see the damage.

This was really bad.

Well, the scrapes were too, but Phantom meant the very obvious bad luck that Danny seems to have.

"Are you okay?" The merman asked the petrified human, if he kept suffering sudden drops in blood pressure like this then Danny was really going to end up in the ER. "Breathe, you idiot," he said when he realized the raven was still holding his breath.

A rush of breath was released, and Danny's fearful eyes looked over at him, the panic slowly going away before a nervous smile covered his face. He gave a scared laugh and practically slapped his hand into Phantom's, holding it in a death grip that expressed his appreciation that the merman had the 6th sense of a spider. Needless to say, Danny was nervous and paranoid at this point and thought it best to glue himself to Phantom's side.

"Still want food?" Phantom asked as the sign finally turned to the walk symbol. The restaurant was in sight, but still at least 2 minutes away. Phantom did a 360 to make absolutely positive that there was no chance they would get hit on the way across the 4 lane intersection.

Danny side glanced the merman again, giving him a bashful smile, but it was that goofy half scared/fully hungry smile that had Phantom rolling his green eyes again. Of course, Danny was still hungry. The stomach crisis would always outweigh any outward crisis that came his way, as long as he was hungry.

They walked into the nasty burger together, and the coolness of the diner had Phantom sighing in relief. It may have been 72-degree weather, but being outside still wasn't the most fun.

Wet floor signs covered the ground, and the worker was actively mopping a few feet from the front counter, but that didn't stop Danny from walking right up to the menu and giving the cashier his order. He got triple meat with bacon and spicy jalapeno cheddar with tater-tots and coke, and Phantom could already smell the farts.

The lady behind the counter called Danny's name and the boy grabbed his bag, turning around to start the walk home with Phantom.

That's when he slipped.

Danny gasped as his whole body flew backward, losing balance after slipping on a particularly wet spot on the tiled floor. Phantom sensed fairly quickly that the back of the raven's head was going to make an impact against the edge of the counter, and knew that it would cause severe damage and possibly immediate death. So he put his hands in the way, cupping the edge and cushioning the blow to the kids head, hurting his own hands in the process. 

Phantom knew just by the pain in his metacarpals, that without his hands saving Danny's head just now, there was no doubt in his mind that the impact would have cracked his skull.

The blue-eyed boy fell harmlessly to the ground after that, feeling around on his head and checking himself for injuries with a familiar look of post-panic on his face.  
There was no denying it now, this was definitely another attack. Danny had to have some kind of black magic riding on his shoulders, and Phantom knew that it had to be another assassin behind the curtain. 

Once, Danny was a dumbass. Twice, it was just a coincidence. 3 times, it just wasn't Danny's day, but 4 almost accidents that would have left Danny dead in less than 20 minutes? Some shit was actively going down, and the merman needed to figure out what it was before the raven tripped and fell off a cliff.

"Yeah," Phantom said as he helped Danny to his feet for the billionth time that day, "Okay, somethings up, this is another attack, we're going home and I'm locking you in your room until we figure out what's going on."

Danny stood on his feet and Phantom wrapped an arm around his shoulder, drawing the boy's small frame to the side of his body to keep him out of trouble on the way home. The boy looked around himself, taking in any and all possibility for disaster. The crack in the sidewalk, the cars speeding down the street, the construction workers painting the side of the building, the toy helicopter flying above their heads, the walker with 6 dogs waiting to get her street-side coffee, it all looked like possible cause of death to him now.

The raven held onto Phantom as they walked out the door and started down the sidewalk back to the Fenton works, now unwilling to let go of the merman for any reason until they were safe at home and away from danger. 

"If I'm being attacked, shouldn't there be some kind of confrontation like the others?" Danny said, his voice a little shaky from being attached to the merman's side and from their fast pace.

"Not unless they're stupid like the others," Phantom's eyes searched, looking for anyone who didn't seem to fit. "If someone is trying to kill you, they're definitely on the right track." Being evasive and keeping confrontation non-existent was definitely the course of action to take if they wanted Danny dead. 

This wasn't good, they had a siren that was actually smart, who knew that as long as Phantom knew they were there, they would not succeed. The merman couldn't see, or smell, or hear any indication that another siren was around, even though Phantom knew there had to be. Only if there wasn't, what then? Would Danny just continue to have constant bad luck, and nearly die every couple minute until he actually did trip and fall off a cliff?

Danny swallowed thickly, he knew that there were merpeople coming after him who had ill intentions, but to hear Phantom say out loud that someone was trying to kill him right that moment was still nerve-wracking. 

"Relax, precious," Phantom said, his voice comforting but still contradicting the panic that was clearly heard, "You're gonna be fine, just whatever you do,  _do not trip_."

Danny nodded roughly, but somehow they were able to make it back to the house without anything bad happening, and the raven felt 10 times safer the moment that he walked through the front door. He sighed in relief and went straight to the kitchen, snatching his burger out of Phantom's hands with a groan as he went. 

He yanked the kitchen chair out from under the table and sat down to start eating, and Phantom walked in to sit in the chair across from him.

In no time at all Danny had already scarfed down 3 bites, making Phantom snap at him to chew his food more. 

"I'm not about to drive you to urgent care because you start choking, chew your damn food, and take baby sized bites." His tone was slightly angered, and more than a little irritated, but Danny knew enough about how Phantom behaved to know that the merman wasn't actually directing his attitude at him. "There will be no asphyxiating in this house any time soon."

Danny would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the fact that he was currently accident/danger-prone and choking on his food was an actual possibility. 

Phantom sniffed as Danny continued to eat. That odd smell was still underneath the raven's skin, and he had a nagging suspicion that whatever made that weird smell was behind all the almost-accidents. Was the siren overshadowing Danny? If that was the case, how the hell was he supposed to dispel it without hurting the human? It wasn't as if he could just use his ice powers, Danny would likely freeze to death. How did he get rid of a siren that was underneath the boy's skin?

Danny successfully finished eating without choking or biting his tongue, and he took a sip of his coke with a sigh of relief. The thought rushed into his head that he was awfully stressed out, and usually, the only cure for that was sex, or lavender tea. And considering he didn't particularly wanna die via endorphins induced heart attack, he thought making lavender tea was the better course of action. So with a sigh, Danny stood and grabbed a mug and tea bag from the pantry before turning to the stove.

Phantom's eyebrows crinkled when another smell hit his nose, and he asked as panic filled him up like an emotional bucket of fear, "Is that an electric, or a gas stove?"

Danny turned his eyes over to the merman and responded as he reached to turn on the heat, "Gas, why?"

Phantom's eyes widened and before Danny knew what was happening, there was a loud explosion and seconds later, he was on the ground.

Danny coughed and hacked to get the smoke out of his lungs, the pressure from having Phantom's weight land on him had knocked the air right out of his lungs. He couldn't see, and could hardly breathe. There was a pain in his head and Danny knew that the sensation of liquid dripping off his face onto the hand that held himself up was blood dripping from his nose. Finally, when he was able to get the world around him to stop spinning at 100 miles an hour, Danny got off his stomach and took in the scene around him.

He didn't know how he and Phantom had gotten out of the kitchen so fast, but that didn't matter to him right at that moment, no.

Phantom was unconscious.

And burned. Badly.

...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, this chapter was going to be longer, but it would have ended up 9k words, so I cut it in half and left you at a cliffhanger. There will now be 43 chapters, plus an epilogue. 
> 
> I hope you like where the story is going still, but let me tell you, I think a lot of people are going to hate me soon...


End file.
